[SatNews] Honeywell Aerospace (NYSE: HON) has signed a memorandum of understanding with Air China to initiate the testing of GX Aviation on the airline’s A330 aircraft.
Air China is the first airline to collaborate with Honeywell and Inmarsat to test the GX Ka-band connectivity solution, and joint testing is expected to begin in the second quarter of 2015.
GX Aviation represents a new era in cabin connectivity for commercial aircraft with unprecedented speed and bandwidth, which will bring Air China one step closer to providing customers with a home- and office-like wireless connectivity experience, even at 40,000 feet. Passengers will have the freedom to do what they want online in-flight, from chatting on social media to streaming videos. With GX Aviation, passengers can expect a 60 percent improvement in download speed for their in-flight connectivity compared with current solutions in the market today.
Around the world, passenger demand for global, transoceanic, fast and consistent in-flight wireless connectivity is rising. A 2013 Honeywell connectivity survey of more than 3,000 global airline passengers revealed that more than three in four surveyed think wireless access should always be available on airplanes, while almost 90 percent would give up an amenity on their flight — preferred seats, extra legroom and more — to be guaranteed a faster and more consistent wireless connection.
About GX Aviation
Beyond passenger comfort, the Honeywell-developed avionics and hardware for GX Aviation will more effectively enable new services for aircraft operators and airlines, such as predictive maintenance and better aircraft communications, that will take advantage of fast, consistent and global connectivity, essentially creating a truly “connected aircraft.” Honeywell and Inmarsat signed an agreement in 2012 to provide global in-flight connectivity services to business, commercial and government aviation customers around the world. Under the terms of the development and supply agreement, Honeywell will exclusively develop, produce and distribute the onboard hardware that will enable users to connect to Inmarsat’s Global Xpress constellation network. GX Aviation Ka-band satellite communication services will further strengthen Honeywell’s industry-leading SATCOM product portfolio catering to customers’ needs from the cockpit to the cabin. That portfolio include the MCS series of satellite communication products for large aircraft and the Aspire systems for smaller aircraft and helicopters.
Along with GX Aviation, Honeywell has a range of satellite communication solutions that is well-placed to address China’s mandate that by 2015, half of Chinese commercial transport aircraft are to be equipped with a SATCOM unit (and by 2017, across all similar fleets) by providing an innovative and cost-effective solution.
The Honeywell Aerospace Connectivity infopage is located at https://aerospace.honeywell.com/priorities/connectivity
Inmarsat's GX Aviation infosite may be accessed at https://www.inmarsat.com/about-us/our-satellites/global-xpress/gx-aviation/
For additional information regarding Air China, access https://www.airchina.us/en/index.html
