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Aviation History
2003
2003 - 1978.PDF
AIR TRANSPORT DELIVERIES Three more airlines take up membership of the A320 family club Airbus is delivering the first aircraft to three new A320 family operators - EasyJet, Royal Brunei Airlines (RBA) and TAME. Ecuador's TAME recently received the first of two new International Aero Engines V2500-powered A320s on operating lease from GATX Air, which will replace its Boeing 727s. RBA has taken the first of two V2500-powered A319s on lease from CIT Aerospace for its regional network. EasyJet will introduce the first of 120 CFM International CFM56-powered A319s next month. INFLIGHT ENTERTAINMENT MARY KIRBY / SEATTLE Suppliers urged to revenue-share Airlines show renewed interest in acquiring equipment, but insist it must be a "revenue-generating opportunity" Cash-strapped airlines are showing renewed interest in adopting new inflight entertainment (IFE) equip ment and enhancing air-to-ground communications, but, rather than acquiring them outright, are asking suppliers to share revenues gener ated from the services. Despite dramatic losses in the last few years, United Airlines, which is in bankruptcy protection, says it willing to make new invest ment in IFE, but, where practical, must "turn IFE into a revenue gen erating opportunity". Speaking last week at the World Airline Entertainment Association (WAEA) annual conference and exhibition in Seattle, United chief executive Glenn Tilton said that the business "will not always be about financial restructuring. It's still about the customer. We have the opportunity and responsibility to work [with suppliers] to find a way of delivering the customer experi ence at competitive cost." Tilton suggests buyers and suppli ers form partnerships to enable them to "settle on common stan dards, harness cost through collec tive purchasing, and move away from paying vendors for services". In June, United signed a deal with US airborne telephony provider Verizon Airfone to equip its domestic fleet with Airfone's JetConnect service, featuring two- way e-mail capabilities powered by Tenzing Communications. Tilton says the agreement will be "a win- win for both companies" as both will share in the revenues. Suppliers agree airlines are mov ing towards revenue-sharing mod els as a contingency to acquiring new IFE services. "That theme cuts all the way across the industry", says Jack Blumenstein, chairman and chief executive of airborne telecommuni cations provider AirCell. However, AirCell believes the airlines are most concerned that the systems pay for themselves. Airlines can bring on board inflight services that lend them selves to promotions and advertis ing revenues, such as inflight e-mail, short messaging services (SMS) and internet access, says Stratos vice-president aeronautical David Warren. The WAEA, meanwhile, esti mates airlines worldwide will increase their expenditure in IFE in 2003 to about $1.5 billion, com pared to last year's $1.39 billion. WAEA notes, however, that the 2002 figure represented an 11% fall in expenditure over 2001. SYSTEMS MARY KIRBY / SEATTLE Matsushita turns on its EX2 platform for A380 Matsushita has unveiled its new inflight entertainment (IFE) platform for the Airbus A380, dubbed the EX2 sys tem. Flight International first reported on Matsushita's plans to develop the new A380 system under the manufac turer's "Project Kayak" programme last year at the World Airline Entertainment Association (WAEA) conference and exhibition in Seattle. At this year's WAEA event, held last week in Seattle, Matsushita confirmed the EX2 has been specifically designed to accommodate the A380, but says the equip ment "will be equally adept on all widebody designs of today and tomorrow". Matsushita's focus since work began on EX2 last year has been on power requirements and reducing overall sys tem weight. The company, along with other hardware manufacturers supplying A380 IFE platforms, has worked to achieve a 30% reduction in weight compared to other widebody systems. "We anticipate that EX2 will be the fastest IFE system in the world, with a media library platform that doubles today's content and coverage, interfaces that will delight passengers, and an unprecedented features list all in the smallest package ever," says Matsushita senior vice presi dent Paul Margis. Matshushita expects the EX2 will be ready to enter service in the second quarter of 2006, shortly after A380 deliveries are due to begin. Rockwell Collins, meanwhile, is using its latest IFE sys tem, ETES (Enhanced Total Entertainment System), as the basis for its hardware for the A380, but with new file servers and seat boxes. 16 16-22 SEPTEMBER 2003 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL www.flightinternational.com
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