Inmarsat has achieved another important
milestone in ensuring Global Xpress (GX) Aviation is available as
linefit or retrofit on every major airframe in the market, after
the next generation in-flight connectivity service was certified
for Airbus A340 aircraft.
Inmarsat’s partner Lufthansa Technik received a
Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) from the European Aviation
Safety Agency (EASA) after it successfully installed a Honeywell
Aerospace designed Ka-band antenna for GX Aviation on board an
Airbus A340 aircraft in Germany.
The STC validates and approves Lufthansa
Technik’s installation process for the Airbus
A340 family, which can be completed within days or during regular
maintenance schedules, including all electrical modifications
inside and outside the aircraft fuselage.
Hundreds of A340s are currently operated
worldwide and in total, more than 600 million passengers have
flown over 20 million flight hours on the popular wide-body
jetliners.
GX Aviation will launch this year as the world’s
first broadband internet solution for aircraft with seamless
global coverage, delivered through a single operator. It allows
passengers and airline crew to browse the internet, check social
media, stream videos, access company resources and more, with
similar fast and reliable broadband as they receive on the ground.
Final global
testing is now underway with Inmarsat’s partner Honeywell
Aerospace, whose exclusive JetWave terminals will connect airlines
to the new in-flight connectivity offering.
“GX Aviation has been developed over the
past five years as the only end-to-end solution in which every
component, from the satellites, ground network and terminals to
the cabin networks, internet features and support, has been
engineered with mobility in mind,” said Leo Mondale, President of
Inmarsat Aviation. “It will be widely available on all popular
aircraft types, both as retrofit and linefit, to ensure maximum
flexibility for airline fleets. This is reflected in the STCs
received to date - ranging from Airbus A340 long-haul, Boeing 757
medium-haul and Airbus A320 short-haul aircraft to Bombardier’s
5000 and 600 private jets – and there are several additional
certification programmes currently underway as we approach the
finishing line for launching GX Aviation.”
See other recent
news regarding:
Lufthansa,
Inmarsat,
EASA,
Airbus
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