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Cover story: Paris Air Show<br />
29<br />
Rockwell Collins was also named by Airbus as one of the top performing<br />
suppliers in support of Airbus and its customer airlines. The<br />
company received an Excellent In-Service Performance award and was<br />
honoured at a special ceremony at the Paris Air Show.<br />
Inmarsat, provider of global mobile satellite communications, also announced<br />
a strategic partnership for its new European Aviation Network<br />
(EAN) inflight broadband service with Airbus. The package announced<br />
includes service bulletins and modification kit developed for advanced<br />
inflight broadband service, allowing installation on all Airbus A320<br />
family aircraft.<br />
As part of a collaborative agreement signed at the Paris Air Show,<br />
Airbus will offer airlines a specialist retrofit solution to deploy EAN on<br />
the entire A320 family of aircraft, including A319s, A320s and A321s,<br />
which form the backbone of many leading airline fleets.<br />
The agreement marks a further milestone in the development of EAN;<br />
the world’s first dedicated aviation connectivity solution to combine<br />
space-based and ground-based networks to deliver a seamless Wi-Fi<br />
experience for airline passengers throughout Europe. It follows a separate<br />
announcement earlier this year that International Airlines Group<br />
(IAG), the parent company of Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia and<br />
Vueling, will be the launch customer for EAN. IAG has begun equipping<br />
its aircraft with the ground-breaking service and aims to have<br />
90% of its short haul fleet complete by early 2019.<br />
The Airbus retrofit solution consists of modification kits with all cabin<br />
network equipment required for EAN deployment. It also includes service<br />
bulletins (SBs) that detail the tasks and materials needed for installation<br />
and also certify the airworthiness of related modification work.<br />
Airlines can procure the new solution directly through Airbus or Inmarsat,<br />
with both partners forecasting that more than 750 aircraft could<br />
be retrofitted with EAN over the next three years.<br />
The partnership with Airbus marks a further key achievement for EAN.<br />
In addition to its function as an inflight broadband solution, the agreement<br />
also contains provisions for airlines to utilise EAN for advanced<br />
aircraft maintenance and operations management, leading to increased<br />
efficiencies and important cost reductions.<br />
Leo Mondale, Inmarsat Aviation President, commented: “Our partnership<br />
with Airbus will offer clear advantages to airlines operating the<br />
popular A320 family aircraft. They will gain access to the new gold<br />
Johann Bordais, President and CEO Support and<br />
Services at Embraer.<br />
Photo: Keith Mwanalushi<br />
standard in passenger inflight broadband with a retrofit solution that<br />
comes from the aircraft manufacturer itself and has been specifically<br />
designed for ease-of-use. In addition to EAN’s function as a highspeed<br />
inflight broadband service, our collaborative agreement with<br />
Airbus also opens the doors to streaming data on the aircraft maintenance<br />
and operations side.”<br />
Also announced in Paris, Air Mauritius and AFI KLM E&M signed<br />
an agreement covering Part 21 cabin modifications to six Airbus<br />
aircraft in the Air Mauritius fleet: two A319, two A330-200 and<br />
two A340-300. Under the terms of the contract, AFI KLM E&M will<br />
provide the programmes’ design, engineering, documentation, certification,<br />
supply of certain materials, and airworthiness supervision<br />
components and will provide assistance services throughout the engineering<br />
process.<br />
In addition to announcing significant orders from undisclosed customers<br />
for the new E2 programme, Brazilian OEM Embraer has officially<br />
entered the aftersales market with the opening of its fourth business<br />
unit, Services and Support – essentially selling the aircraft and also the<br />
support, in line with the growing trend across the entire OEM chain.<br />
Embraer figures estimate the supported commercial fleet to be in excess<br />
of 2,400 aircraft from a customer base of 205 operators globally.<br />
Speaking to journalists at a press gathering in Paris Johann Bordais,<br />
President and CEO Support and Services at Embraer says this was an<br />
integrated solution it was offering customers.<br />
Inmarsat are working with Airbus on broadband technologies.<br />
Photo: Keith Mwanalushi<br />
“This is the fourth business solution that we have created. We believe<br />
that the OEM is the ultimate integrator. We are selling the airplane but<br />
we are also selling the services,” Bordais reveals.<br />
<strong>AviTrader</strong> <strong>MRO</strong> - June <strong>2017</strong>
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