Flight Daily News

AirCell builds European bridgehead for comms

Air-to-ground communications provider AirCell, represented here by new partner MedAire (booth 144), is reporting significant growth in Europe over the past 12 months.
Set up originally to serve corporate and general aviation in North America via its own proprietary cellular-based technology, AirCell entered the worldwide market in 2003 by integrating its airborne hardware with the Iridium and, subsequently, Inmarsat satellite systems. 
Colorado-based AirCell reports that its European sales grew 100% last year. It is working on certifications with a number of European airframe manufacturers, including Piaggio, Dassault and Pilatus. AirCell hardware is operational in the fleet of leading European fractional operator NetJets.
AirCell's newest airborne system is Axxess, offering operators of medium-to-large business aircraft two Iridium satellite communications channels for voice and narrowband data, plus two optional Iridium channels via an expansion port. Operators can also add an Inmarsat Swift broadband connection. Axxess has received US Federal Aviation Administration certification and European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) approval is expected to be complete by mid-year.
Three European installation facilities are leading the EASA certification effort. Transairco, based in Geneva, is installing the system in a Dassault Falcon 50. Paris-based EISA is putting it aboard another Falcon 50, and Germany's Ruag Aerospace Services is handling a Cessna Citation III installation.
Other Axxess capabilities include 802.11b/g WiFi to support air-ground data communications for passenger laptops, PDAs and other wireless devices. FAA certification of the WiFi capability is set for the third quarter of this year, with EASA certification to follow shortly afterwards.