The Airbus A350-1000 has completed its so-called “early long flight,” testing the new twinjet’s cabin comfort, processes and systems during a 12-hour flight under airline operating conditions.
Space-based ADS-B developer Aireon said three separate flight tests involving the data-collecting technology were conducted by NAV Canada, FAA and private vendor Polaris Flight Systems in March, demonstrating the system’s inflight messaging and receiving capability as comparable to ground-based receivers.
GX Aviation broadband launch customers Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines have completed their four-month Ka-Band internet trial on short- and medium-haul flights and have transitioned over to a paid service.
French aircraft equipment manufacturer Zodiac Aerospace—which is being acquired by Safran—has posted a €12 million ($13.1 million) interim operating loss, triggering CEO Olivier Zarrouati to offer his position.
Qatar Airways plans to launch 12 destinations in 2018 and will begin offering high-speed broadband connectivity in partnership with Inmarsat, using GX Aviation technology on flights from this summer.
China’s Shenzhen Airlines is about to kick off a working trial of Inmarsat and Cobham’s flight deck connectivity product, SwiftBroadband-Safety (SB-S), on its Airbus A320 fleet.
The 2017 Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX) brought together airlines and supply chains to reveal the latest innovations, technologies and products for cabin interiors, inflight entertainment and passenger comfort.
Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways Engineering (EAE) and Germany’s Diehl Aerosystems have signed an agreement to use additive manufacturing—popularly known as 3D printing—to produce initial cabin components for a third-party airline.
Indian low-cost carrier SpiceJet has signed a letter of intent (LOI) to equip its fleet with Lufthansa Systems’ BoardConnect Portable inflight entertainment (IFE) and e-commerce platform.
French aircraft equipment company Zodiac Aerospace has pushed back the publication of its interim results because of the extra workload created by an acquisition bid from high-technology group Safran.
Malaysia Airlines has become the first customer to sign up for SITAONAIR, Aireon and FlightAware’s global flight tracking service, designed to prevent incidents similar to the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines MH370.
Technology provider Thales is hoping to automate new movie releases on its AVANT inflight entertainment (IFE) system from around 2020 and to introduce live TV replay functionality by 2018.
Technology provider Thales has signed a contract with an unnamed customer, covering its entire suite of inflight entertainment and connectivity (IFEC) products, which should be made public by June.
UK-based aircraft lighting specialist STG Aerospace has certified a square reading light and secured floor path lighting contracts with China Eastern Airlines and Icelandair.
The package of cabin updates should free up enough cabin floor space to increase seating from the average of 497 on A380s now in operation to 575 in four classes, substantially growing airline revenues.
Inmarsat Aviation president Leo Mondale has predicted an acceleration in airline connectivity decisions, as the latest generation of inflight broadband comes online.
