Norwegian Rolls Out GX Aviation on 737 Max, 787 Fleet

Norwegian is rolling out new satellite-powered connectivity across its fleet of Boeing 737 Max and 787 Dreamliners with the help of Collins Aerospace and Inmarsat. Europe’s third largest low-cost carrier began offering free access to Wi-Fi onboard its 737 Max fleet in mid-January, and has recently begun flying trans-Atlantic flights with its connected Boeing 787s as well. Norwegian plans to have the majority of its 787 fleet equipped with the Collins Cabin Connect suite of connectivity services by 2020. “Providing our passengers with the most reliable and robust in-flight Wi-Fi connectivity is very important to us,” said Boris Bubresko, vice president of business development for Norwegian, of their new connected aircraft launch. The broadband connectivity onboard Norwegian’s connected fleet is provided by the Collins Jetwave satellite communications system. Onboard the aircraft, Colllins installed its CabinConnect server and a number of wireless access points to enable connectivity for Norwegian’s passengers and flight crew, according to LeAnn Ridgeway, vice president and general manager of the Information Management Services division of Collins Aerospace. “The brains of the system, the onboard server, enables passengers to access locally stored content on their portable devices. These are all standard components, although we host a custom graphical user interface for Norwegian’s passengers to access the onboard systems and content,” Ridgeway said. Collins’ IMS division is also providing the airtime plan for Norwegian’s service needs related to the operation of GX Aviation. Ridgeway said Collins is also looking to support Norwegian’s future vision of using broadband connectivity for new cockpit services like electronic flight bag and real-time, high-definition weather to operators. Many of these services will require significant amounts of data to be exchanged between the aircraft and operations, she said. “Equipping the aircraft with broadband service opens up a new range of opportunities for the airline to leverage the pipe for flight and cabin crew applications,” Ridgeway said. “An example of the type of content that could be delivered is higher definition graphical weather. The benefit of this information is that crews and airline dispatchers can better assess developing weather conditions, especially on long haul flights, and be more prepared to make proactive decisions to flight plan/route changes to save time and fuel costs.”

Lufthansa Systems Ushers in New Era of IFEC Business Models

Lufthansa Systems describes its new approach to establishing in-flight entertainment and connectivity (IFEC) business models as a breakthrough for the commercial aviation industry, with a focus on enabling refinancing opportunities for airlines through the use of e-commerce partnerships and platforms. Garuda Indonesia’s low cost subsidiary Citilink is the first airline to start flying with connectivity enabled by the new refinancing business model. Lufthansa Systems’ first business partner behind the new option is Mahata Aero Teknologi, which is providing an e-commerce solution based on commercial offers and advertising partners. Those advertising partners provide a path toward Citilink and other airlines allocating the cost of providing internet services to passengers free of charge. “Many providers offer financing models, but they often lack an understanding of the aviation industry. We are closing this gap with our expertise in IFEC solutions and with BoardConnect,” said Jan-Peter Gänse, head of passenger experience products & solutions at Lufthansa System of the new approach to IFEC business models. BoardConnect is Lufthansa’s custom onboard open source IT platform that provides passenger access to Inmarsat’s GX Aviation-powered Wi-Fi connectivity. Mahata Aero Teknologi is working alongside Lufthansa Systems in addition to Inmarsat and Lufthansa Technik. While Inmarsat, the leading satellite provider, is supplying the broadband Internet connection with its global GX Aviation network, Lufthansa Technik is providing the hardware and performing the installation design and certification. Garuda Indonesia signed an agreement with Lufthansa Systems to enable the use of GX Aviation via BoardConnect in December. The Indonesian carrier has not indicated whether it will also look to add the new business model to its mainline network fleet of aircraft. “The first two customers using our solution have shown that we can provide models to suit low-cost carriers as well as airlines with large fleets,” Iwan Setiawan, managing director of Mahata Aero Teknologi said.