General News Archives

Carlisle Interconnect Technologies launches Octax Hybrid

Carlisle Interconnect Technologies has launched Octax Hybrid, the latest addition to the company’s signature line of Octax high-speed data connectors.

Ideal for use in the defence, commercial aviation, and industrial markets, this new series of high-performance, multi-port connectors is available in six standard key configurations to prevent mis-mating with adjacent connectors. There are multiple finishes to suit every application and the product combines 10 Gb data with additional discretes in a single 38999 shell.

Jeff Behlendorf, Director of Product Management, Integrated Products at CarlisleIT, said: “This connector series combines multiple signal needs in a single package and maintains the data port shields through the connector to ensure excellent noise rejection on multiple data ports. It is high density data and signal in a compact footprint. Built with top quality materials and designed for easy installation and maintenance, this product truly embodies the CarlisleIT vision of ‘Performance with Purpose’.”

May 17, 2022

WTCE to shine a light on Passenger Experience Conference sessions

By Satu DahlGeneral NewsNo Comments

The organisers of the World Travel Catering & Onboard Services Expo have announced the sessions at this year’s Passenger Experience Conference (PEC) taking place on 13 June in Hamburg that will be of particular interest to their audience.

The conference will explore ways that the passenger experience community is helping to rebuild the industry following the COVID-19 pandemic of the past two years.

Aviation stalwarts such as TAP Portugal, Virgin Atlantic, Safran Cabin and Inmarsat are confirmed to speak, with interactive Q&As set to follow each session, allowing attendees to gain valuable insights into the current trends and challenges facing the industry.

Event director Polly Magraw said: “Complementing the innovation anticipated at this year’s WTCE, we are delighted to announce the line-up for this June’s Passenger Experience Conference. The pandemic has fundamentally shifted how the aviation sector does business, with an increased focus on building a new for the future and not simply repairing the past. This year’s speaker line-up will help us answer how we should be responding to the different cohorts of passengers who will be in the vanguard of travel recovery while creating flying experiences that meet their needs and addresses their values.”

The “Building Value and Values into the journey” session will look at how to imbue delight into the passenger experience and create onboard services that travellers will truly value because they are aligned to their needs and respond to their values. It will also examine what processes need rethinking and where the opportunities lie to make the passengers’ onboard experience easier and analyses how best airlines can establish connection, trust and meaningful engagement with passengers as well as the strategies that open up revenue opportunities for airlines and their partners.

The Customer Experience Investment Dilemma session, featuring Seth Miller, Editor at PaxEx.Aero and Konsta Hansson, Managing Director at Reaktor Aero will look at ways for the industry to reach the ideal balance for better business outcomes.

The Revitalising Air Travel session will delve into the critical passenger experience strategies that will transform travel and support airline renewal.

Jennifer Newlands, Vice President, Head of Strategy, Brand, Content at Airbus, Silvia Mosquera, Chief Commercial and Revenue Officer at TAP Portugal and Anthony Woodman, Vice President – Customer Journeys & Reward at Virgin Atlantic will examine how innovative airlines are mapping out the routes to more seamless and efficient journeys with human values at their heart.

This session will provide visitors with the opportunity to hear directly from airline experience chiefs on how they are responding to the needs of those passengers who will be in the vanguard of travel recovery and building sustainable businesses.

The Carbon Budgets – A New Way to Address the Environmental Footprint of Business Travel session will be led by Andrew Doyle, Senior Director Market Development at Cirium, and will offer context to the challenges and opportunities ahead. It will centre around evaluating how corporate travel spending is being shaped by the carbon emissions of individual flights, discussing solutions to give travellers more agency and a better understanding of the carbon cost of their flight as well as evaluating the potential impacts on aircraft routes, fleet and, ultimately, cabin classes onboard.

Featuring experts including Joe Leader, CEO at the Airline Passenger Experience Association & International Flight Services Association, Guillaume Vivet, Vice President Digital Commerce & Experience at Inmarsat, Jonas von Kruechten, Head of Strategy & Business Development at AERQ and Christian Grou Co-Founder, Neutral Digital, the Differentiating by Delight – Mapping the Future for Digital Experiences session will take a deep dive into the impact of creating more nuanced and targeted connections for new business opportunities and revenues. It will also detail the key strategic and practical requirements for airlines seeking to elevate their digital passenger engagement.

Delegates are also invited to the Passenger Experience Conference networking party, which is free to attend for conference delegates.

May 12, 2022

Passenger Experience Conference returns to Hamburg

By Satu DahlGeneral NewsNo Comments

The Passenger Experience Conference will be returning to Hamburg, Germany, on Monday 13 June.

The event will be hosted at the newly renovated Congress Center Hamburg, with aviation companies such as Air France, TAP Portugal, Virgin Atlantic, Finnair, Collins Aerospace, Boeing Commerical Airplanes, Safran Cabin and Inmarsat confirmed to speak.

Interactive Q&As will follow each session, allowing attendees to gain valuable insights into the current trends and challenges facing the industry.

Event director Polly Magraw said: “Complementing the innovation anticipated at this year’s AIX and WTCE, we are delighted to announce the line-up for this June’s Passenger Experience Conference. The pandemic has fundamentally shifted how the aviation sector does business, with an increased focus on building anew for the future and not simply repairing the past.

“This year’s speaker line-up will help us answer how we should be responding to the different cohorts of passengers who will be in the vanguard of travel recovery while creating flying experiences that meet their needs and addresses their values.”

April 28, 2022

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BOC Aviation orders 80 Airbus A320neos

By Satu DahlFeatured, General NewsNo Comments

Aircraft operating lessor BOC Aviation has entered into an agreement with Airbus to purchase 80 new Airbus A320neo family aircraft.

The aircraft are scheduled for delivery between 2027 and 2029.

Robert Martin, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, BOC Aviation, said: “We are proud to continue our long-standing relationship with Airbus, with whom we have partnered for more than 26 years. This is the largest single order that we have ever placed and it will bring our total Airbus aircraft purchased since inception to 546.

“It underscores our continued confidence in the A320neo family for its reliability and operational efficiency and reflects the popularity of the aircraft amongst our airline customers. We look forward to continuously providing our customers with such fuel-efficient and technologically advanced aircraft solutions.”

Christian Scherer, Airbus Chief Commercial Officer and Head of Airbus International, said: “Airbus thanks BOC Aviation for its unwavering trust and endorsement of the A320neo family with its single largest order ever placed. This significant long-term order for 80 additional aircraft is a great testimony of the sustained value of our single aisle products by one of the world’s leading lessors, BOC Aviation. We salute its vision and foresight in securing future delivery positions of these most desirable assets in the single-aisle segment now and in the longer run.”

April 11, 2022

Mirus extends capabilities of Hawk economy seat

By Satu DahlGeneral NewsNo Comments

Lightweight aircraft seating manufacturer Mirus Aircraft Seating has launched its latest derivative of the company’s Hawk economy seat.

Mirus says its new-generation Hawk seat, designed at Mirus’s Norfolk HQ, doubles the range of aircraft types the seat is certified for and will be applicable for both Boeing 737 and A320 family aircraft. The seat is certified for multiple aisle widths, providing greater choice for airline customers.

The Hawk is designed to offer maximum leg room and tailored comfort options to enhance and optimise the passenger experience. The seat features a mechanical recline system, extending tray table and a choice of lower literature pockets.

Additional customisation options include a range of sustainable seat cover materials, USB charging points for passenger convenience and a built-in personal electronic device holder.

According to the manufacturer, the seat weighs significantly less than many of the older seats seen operating on the Boeing and Airbus fleets, offering substantial fuel saving opportunities and driving down aircraft CO2 emissions. In addition, the seat is made primarily of recyclable materials.

Ben McGuire, CEO of Mirus Aircraft Seating, said: “Our next generation of the Hawk seat will double our market range as we’ve tailored the design to make it available for the Boeing 737 family, to serve alongside the existing Airbus A320 family offering. We are attracting commercial airline clients seeking a dynamic mix of light weight, stylish design and modern in-seat features whilst also being sustainable.

“Our seats come with the Mirus Care Extended Warranty, which can be secured for a low annual fee. Typically, this means that our customers can expect to have their investment returned within five years of purchase, which is around half the standard lifetime of the seat. There is no other warranty programme like this in the aircraft seating space, and we are immensely proud to offer such a service.”

March 2, 2022

Airbus, Safran and Tikehau Ace Capital to acquire Aubert & Duval

By Satu DahlFeatured, General News, InsightsNo Comments

Airbus, Safran and Tikehau Ace Capital have signed a memorandum of understanding with mining and metallurgical group Eramet to acquire the group’s subsidiary, Aubert & Duval.

The proposed transaction is subject to consultation and necessary regulatory approvals and the closing is expected in the fourth quarter of 2022. The three partners intend to acquire 100% of Aubert & Duval through a new joint holding company.

Aubert & Duval is a strategic supplier of critical parts and materials for the aerospace, defence and nuclear industries. The company has end-to-end capabilities in special materials and superalloys, as well as nascent expertise in titanium, both which are critical to aerospace, transportation, energy and defence applications.

Airbus says the acquisition would allow Airbus and Safran to secure a strategic supply chain and new material development for current and future civil and military aircraft and engine programmes.

Safran CEO Olivier Andriès said: “Aubert & Duval is a historical supplier of Safran with unique technical expertise in Europe. The planned acquisition will ensure national sovereignty for our most strategic programmes for disruptive civil and military aircraft engines.

“Given its industrial expertise in metallurgy, Safran will lead the operational management of the company. The transformation programme will reinforce customer confidence and create a national champion with a strong French industrial base capable of serving global markets.”

Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury said: “Aubert & Duval, with its critical knowledge and expertise dating back more than a century, is a strategic supplier to Airbus and the entire aerospace and defence industry. Our sector, which has started to emerge from the COVID crisis, needs a solid partner to ramp up production while preparing next-generation technologies in aerospace.

“With this acquisition and an ambitious transformation plan, we aim to restore the operational excellence and market confidence in Aubert & Duval to create, in the mid- to long-term, a leading European player able to face global competition as well as to reduce geopolitical risk of supply.”

February 22, 2022

Bonza reveals route map and airport bases

By Satu DahlFeatured, General NewsNo Comments

Australian independent low-cost carrier Bonza has revealed its route map and airport bases and announced Sunshine Coast Airport as its home base and head office location.

The carrier’s fleet consists of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. Initially, two aircraft will be based at Sunshine Coast Airport while Melbourne Airport, the carrier’s second airport base, will also have two aircraft.

Bonza has also announced its destinations, which include Albury, Avalon, Bundaberg, Cairns, Coffs Harbour, Gladstone, Mackay, Melbourne, Mildura, Newcastle, Port Macquarie, Rockhampton, Sunshine Coast, Toowoomba Wellcamp, Townsville and the Whitsunday Coast.

Tim Jordan, CEO of Bonza, said: “Since announcing Bonza to the world late last year, we’ve always said we wouldn’t just fly between Australia’s three largest cities and instead give people in the regions more choice. Today we deliver on that promise, with the largest launch announcement in Australian aviation history.

“From our two bases on the Sunshine Coast and Melbourne, we will give Aussies more options at ultra-low fares to explore their own backyard. With destinations ranging from Albury to the Whitsundays, travellers will now be able to fly, instead of impossibly long road trips, as well as fly direct without a stopover in a major city.

“Aussies can look forward to enjoying more time at their destination and spending less of their hard-earned cash getting there in the first place.”

To mark the launch, Bonza also unveiled its brand new 737 MAX aircraft with its striking purple livery.

February 16, 2022

ACR Electronics announces major deals for its distress-tracking ELT solution

By Satu DahlFeatured, General News, MRONo Comments

ACR Electronics has secured deals to supply its distress-tracking ARTEX ELT 5000 (DT) solution with crash survivability to two of the world’s largest commercial aircraft manufacturers.

ACR Electronics says the announced deals establish its next-generation emergency locator transmitter (ELT) as the preferred solution to support production aircraft in compliance with the ICAO 2023 GADSS (global aeronautical distress and safety system) initiative.

The ACR Electronics product is offered to the market in combination with SKYTRAC’s autonomous distress tracking system as a complete GADSS solution.

The GADSS initiative recommendations are currently being adopted into regulations by regulatory bodies such as EASA. The key GADSS concept of operations objectives include addressing late notification of search and rescue services when aircraft are in distress, identifying the location of an end-of-flight aircraft position, ensuring efficient and effective SAR operations and assisting with timely recovery of flight data by providing an accurate report of the aircraft’s final position.

John Nguyen, President of ACR Electronics, said: “The two contracts secured by ACR Electronics to supply the ARTEX ELT 5000 (DT) to the world’s major aircraft manufacturers are a powerful endorsement for our multi-faceted distress-tracking ELT programme. It demonstrates the high confidence in the industry that the development of the next generation ELT 5000 (DT) will future-proof aircraft with a state-of-the-art emergency distress signalling and tracking solution.

“The ability to create a compliant system by combining the ELT-DT and ADT technology of sister brands ARTEX and SKYTRAC means the ACR Group is the only company with a full end-to-end GADSS solution for airframe manufacturers and airline operators.”

The system is triggered by a potential distress condition from independent aircraft monitoring. The 406 MHz ARTEX ELT 5000 (DT) intelligently activates and will automatically begin transmitting 406 MHz distress messages with the current location in real time while the aircraft is in flight.

The company says the distress tracking provides the precise location of the aircraft to assist the relevant monitoring bodies to respond to the alert quickly and effectively using the COSPAS-SARSAT satellite network.

It is also possible to trigger the ELT manually from inside the cockpit if necessary.

February 14, 2022

Frontier Airlines and Spirit Airlines announce merger

By Satu DahlFeatured, General NewsNo Comments

Spirit Airlines and Frontier Group Holdings have announced a merger agreement to create America’s most competitive ultra-low fare carrier.

The airlines say they expect to bring more ultra-low fares to more travellers in more destinations across the US, Latin America and the Caribbean – to major cities as well as underserved communities.

William A Franke, the chair of Frontier’s board of directors and the managing partner of Indigo Partners, Frontier’s majority shareholder, explained that Indigo has a long history with both Spirit and Frontier.

He said: “We worked jointly with the board of directors and senior management team across both carriers to arrive at a combination of two complementary businesses that together will create America’s most competitive ultra-low fare airline for the benefit of consumers.”

Ted Christie, President and CEO of Spirit, said the carrier is thrilled to join forces with Frontier to further democratise air travel. He said: “This transaction is centred around creating an aggressive ultra-low fare competitor to serve our guests even better, expand career opportunities for our team members and increase competitive pressure, resulting in more consumer-friendly fares for the flying public. We look forward to uniting our talented teams to shake up the airline industry while also continuing our commitment to excellent guest service.”

Barry Biffle, President and CEO of Frontier, said: “Together, Frontier and Spirit will be America’s greenest airline and deliver more ultra-low fares to more people in more places. I couldn’t be more excited for our team members, customers, partners, the communities we serve and our shareholders.”

February 8, 2022

Thai Airways chooses Stellar Entertainment as content service partner

By Satu DahlFeatured, General News, IFECNo Comments

Thai Airways has chosen IFE content specialists Stellar Entertainment as the carrier’s new content service partner.

Stellar Entertainment will now be supplying the Thai carrier with a full range of in-flight entertainment services, including account management, strategic curation and licensing of all film, television and audio content, production services, technical services and content delivery.

Stellar’s teams in Sydney, Singapore and Malaysia will be managing the content for the carrier.

Kittiphong Sansomboon, Executive Director of Customer and Marketing at Thai Airways, said: “To fulfil Thai’s vision to be a high-quality full service carrier with strong Thai brand connecting Thailand to the world, we have chosen a highly experienced IFE partner who can deliver on every level.

“From up-to-date releases of content, innovative content strategies such as helping us introduce the idea of pairing music with our inflight F&B experience, to agile technical expertise; we are confident that Stellar can help Thai deliver our promise to the world through our new IFE experience.”

Stellar Entertainment’s Managing Director, Sam Allen, said: “As a leading CSP in Asia-Pacific, we feel privileged to work with another prestigious flag carrier in this region, one that is renowned for world-class in-flight products and services. Airlines seek stable and flexible partners with reliable expertise during these current fluid times and Stellar Entertainment meets those requirements, backed by almost five decades in the industry.”

February 7, 2022

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