Interiors & Connectivity

SpiceJet has selected ultralight seats designed by French startup company Expliseat on 10 of its Boeing 737 NGs and the 25 Bombardier Q400s the India-based LCC ordered last year.

Singapore Airlines said it would invest $350 million to equip an initial 20 new Boeing 787-10s with new cabins including a fully flat bed in business class and personalized IFE for all passengers.

Air Caraïbes is modernizing the cabins of all its Airbus A330s, with three already revamped in 2017 and two more scheduled to be completed by the end of June 2018.

The delay and quality issues that have marred the cabin equipment industry for a few years may soon be history, but OEMs are raising the bar on quality.

Despite a negative ruling by a Belgian court, and having only IAG as a definite customer, the satellite company says its solution is “on track.”

OneWeb is working with Airbus to build and launch 900 LEO satellites, with the primary aim of providing affordable terrestrial internet access to all. Photo: Deutsche Telekom

LOT Polish Airline’s first Boeing 787-9 will be used both to service the carrier’s flagship transatlantic routes and to open new sectors, the airline’s CEO Rafał Milczarski said as the first 787-9 arrived in Warsaw March 23.

At April’s Aircraft Interiors show in Hamburg, the cabin densification trend is expected to keep seat design evolving.

Singapore Airlines (SIA) is set to put the first Boeing 787-10 into service next week and plans to operate a fleet of eight 787-10s by April 2019 on what the carrier terms “regional” routes.

Following a March 22 cyberattack on the City of Atlanta government, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) has temporarily shut down its Wi-Fi system, leaving the airport’s approximately 275,000 daily passengers and 63,000 employees scrambling for internet connectivity.

Netherlands flag carrier KLM has revealed its first Airbus A330-200 with a completely renovated cabin, designed to improve the traveling environment for long-haul passengers.

Inflight communications provider SITAONAIR and Astronics Ballard Technology unveiled an integrated “smart core” system to assist airlines in managing onboard data communications.

Lufthansa Group subsidiary Austrian Airlines has finished installing premium economy seats on its 11 long-haul aircraft, as part of a €15 million ($18.5 million) investment.

Global mobile satellite communications provider Inmarsat reported $1.4 billion in total group revenue for 2017, up 5.4% from 2016, largely on the strength of 36.7% growth in Inmarsat’s aviation sector, which includes in-flight connectivity (IFC), business/general aviation (BGA) and safety/operational services (SOS) revenue. The aviation sector reported $195 million in total revenue for the year.

NATO is calling for proper provision for military requirements in the creation of so-called U-space – airspace populated with unmanned aerial vehicles.

Virgin Atlantic plans to offer hand luggage-only economy fares and remove six seats from its Boeing 787s for an extra-legroom product as a response to increased competition from long-haul LCCs like Norwegian.

British Airways (BA) has refreshed the cabins of its 10-strong Boeing 777 fleet based at London Gatwick Airport with World Traveller Plus and World Traveller seats.

Space-based tracking of aircraft is a technology equalizer that offers nations lacking radar infrastructure a way to quickly improve their surveillance capability, ICAO council president Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu said.

Satellite communications provider Inmarsat and Airservices Australia will evaluate the use of satellite voice (SATVOICE) for air traffic services in Australia to cover areas beyond the reach of traditional VHF voice radio.

Expliseat, a French startup company that produces aircraft seats, is offering a lightweight economy-class seat for the Boeing 737.

French technology provider Thales North American CEO Alan Pellegrini said stakeholders should be “highly concerned, but not necessarily scared” about cyberattack threats in an era of rapidly expanding aircraft connectivity.

Boeing has designed a prayer space concept that provides a private zone for religious passengers to practice their beliefs without the need to remove rows of seats.

Would-be telecommunications satellite operator OneWeb has joined forces with Airbus, Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines and mobile network operators Sprint and Bharti Airtel to offer a seamless experience to those passengers wanting to connect their mobile device on board.

Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker is working on a new economy-class product, which could be unveiled as early at 2019, likely at next year’s ITB Berlin.