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I wanted to make the first post of May a story about business aviation doing well. In these times of economic uncertainty it is certainly uplifting to hear of new ventures.The story which has appeared on many of the aviation news sites, including FlightGlobal concerns a new start up in the industry, Thai firm Advance Aviation. Previously operating only four VIP helicopters, that were purchased brand new from Eurocopter, the company hold 80% of the helicopter market share, being the only operator to cover all of Thailand.

Now expanding into the business jet market its jet operations commenced this February with just one G200. Advance Aviation is already planning to increase its fleet with the second hand purchase of one further G200 and a management agreement for two more.

Advance Aviation vice-chairman Chai Nasylvanta commented that the regulatory environment for helicopter operations improves every year in Thailand, but that the industry would enjoy faster growth if Thailand releases more authority to pilots and operators, creating an environment similar to that in the USA and Australia.

©Advance Aviation

In-Flight Connectivity taken to the next level by Honeywell & Inmarsat

The next generation of in-flight connectivity systems will increase onboard broadband speeds to 50mbps Inmarsat & Honeywell said this week.

Honeywell will develop the onboard hardware that will connect to Inmarsat’s Global Xpress network, made possible by the use of the Ka-band, which is found between 26.5GHz and 40GHz.

Global Xpress is scheduled for launch in 2013, with global service availability for commercial, business aviation and government customers during 2014.

The deal between Honeywell and Inmarsat is exclusive and is estimated to result in US$2.8 billion for Honeywell in sales of hardware, customer service, and maintenance to airlines, governments and OEMs over the next two decades, according to a statement.

Inmarsat already works with ARINC to provide in-flight internet through their SwiftBroadband product in the “Cabin Connect” services. Thanks to the enhanced bandwidth offered by SwiftBroadband and ARINC’s Cabin Connect, airline passengers can surf the internet, send and receive email, and use universal messaging all through their own portable electronic device, be that laptop, tablet computer eg iPad or Playbook, smart phone or portable gaming devices.

These services are currently available for business aviation users here: cabinconnect.aero.

Poland’s Gdansk Lech Walesa Airport Prepares for EURO 2012 Crowds

Tens of thousands of football fans will be arriving this arriving in Poland this summer to attend the EURO 2012TM tournament matches. The Gdansk Lech Walesa Airport has recently more than doubled its passenger capacity by increasing airside infrastructure and adding a second passenger terminal

The sharp increase in passenger numbers expected has led the airport to chose vMUSE Enterprise hosted technology from ARINC Incorporated as its common-use passenger check-in and departure solution.

ARINC say “Unlike common-use systems that require costly IT hardware on site, ARINC’s vMUSE Enterprise solution delivers passenger processing as an Internet service. The check-in and departure functions use inexpensive “thin client” terminals in conjunction with an Internet connection.”

Because the data processing for vMUSE Enterprise occurs at an off-site data centre managed by ARINC, there is no need for the costly servers, core rooms, and computer workstations typical with other common-use systems. The need for on-site server maintenance, back-ups, and health checks is also eliminated. Airports can lower their IT capital and support costs while enjoying advanced common-use passenger services with improved overall system reliability and security.

As an added benefit, vMUSE Enterprise greatly reduces power consumption compared with conventional server-based core systems, enabling airports to lower their carbon footprint.

Along with Warsaw, Poznan, and Wroclaw, Gdansk is one of Poland’s four Host Cities with venues for the UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) EURO 2012 matches. With the opening of Terminal 2, Gdansk Lech Walesa Airport will serve 5.0 million passengers a year. In addition to facility improvements for EURO 2012, the airport will enact a special management plan to ensure efficient and friendly service for the volume of fan traffic expected from all over Europe.

In Focus – Aviation Type B Messaging Costs

Cost-saving strategies are the current hot topic for all business aviation users. As airline operational costs continue to rise with airport taxes, fuel prices, maintenance, staffing and the multitude of ‘back end’ costs we look at one of the ways that business jets can improve their bottom line.

Type B messaging services are one of the airlines essentials. Operational messaging can be expensive – but is not something that can be compromised on. There are of course many providers of these services but I want to focus on a supplier that actually offers a calculator tool to find out if you could make savings before you need to get in touch,.

Not all Type B business messaging services are the same. There are major differences between network providers in pricing, support, and efficiency of their applications.

ARINC Direct’s ‘Type B Check’ allows you to calculate your potential savings in this area. As a leading network provider, ARINC has pioneered many advanced features and widely publicise that their Type B messaging applications the most user-friendly available today.

Because ARINC offers several flexible pricing plans, including a flat rate option, new customers could benefit from savings as much as 60% of their messaging costs.

ARINC’s Type B access products are built on ARINC’s technologically advanced AviNet platform and deliver unsurpassed reliability and user-friendly operation.

For more information please visit typebcheck.com

Restructured Regional Coverage for ARINC Aviation Voice Network

Last week we heard that ARINC Incorporateds Air/Ground Domestic Radio VHF voice service in North America announced that it has restructured its regional network design. The Air/Ground Domestic Radio VHF voice service has been restructured from 12 separate networks into 6 regionally divided networks operating on 6 frequencies across the continental United States. This change improves the ease-of-use for the air crews while maintaining the high quality of service and availability customers expect from ARINC. The network restructuring is the final phase of a system-wide technology refresh, including digital connectivity and replacing analogue radios with state-of-the-art digital transceivers. The digital connectivity and radios have demonstrated greater voice clarity, improved reliability, and real-time network monitoring. The digital technology also allowed ARINC to make the overnight transition with minimal service interruption.

As the critical communications medium for thousands of today’s commercial and business aircraft, it is vital for ARINCs VHF voice radio service to respond to the requests of our users, said John Metzger, Program Director, ARINC Aviation Voice Services. The new regional network structure offers a single frequency for each region to minimize frequency changes across our customers’ major route structures. This will greatly improve the air crews ability to select the correct frequency relative to aircraft position and reach the ground for priority company communications.

Even with the increased use of data link communications, VHF voice radio remains the industry standard used by commercial air carriers and business and general aviation. VHF voice radio enables airlines to communicate emergency or other non-routine situations to company dispatch, maintenance and medical advisory services, limiting unnecessary diversions and providing the critical communications link from the aircraft to the ground.

ARINC Direct offers a full suite of flight planning, flight support and flight deck communications solutions for business aviation. For the full range please see: www.business-flight-support.com.

55th annual AEA International Convention & Trade Show

April 4, 2012

The largest gathering of avionics manufacturers, distributors and government-certified repair stations in the world is taking place now in Washington DC! An opportunity for manufacturers, distributors, technicians and business leaders to network and look at new solutions for avionics.

The official event site boasts:

More than 75 hours of FAA-accepted regulatory, technical and business management training.
More than 100 exhibitors in the AEA Exhibit Hall.
Meet the regulators and learn the latest issues impacting the avionics industry and your business.
The introduction of new avionics products for 2012.
AEA’s Show Specials – deep OEM to dealer discounts that could offset the cost of attending the entire show.
AEA’s social events, including the First-Nighter Party with a Crab and Beer Fest, the annual Awards
Luncheon and the Last Call Reception.

One exhibitor will be ARINC Direct offering flight support, flight planning, flight tracking, data services and flight deck communications for the business aviation community. For more information on these solutions please visit: business-flight-planning.com

ARINC sees Cabin Connect deal imminent

April 4, 2012

This week FlightGlobal reported that ARINC expects to have a launch airline customer for its wi-fi hotspot product Cabin Connect flying before the end of this year.

ARINC Cabin Connect Passenger Communications

It was at the APEX Expo last September that the company debuted its Inmarsat SwiftBroadband-supported wi-fi solution. “We expect it to be flying commercially before the end of the year,” says ARINC’s director, satellite solutions and cabin solutions, Lee Costin, adding a customer announcement is likely in “weeks not months”.

ARINC says it has had strong activity in its SwiftBroadband business since Inmarsat appointed it an aero distribution partner. “Last year was our first full year and we’ve had phenomenal growth,” says Costin.

Inmarsat is due to roll out enhancements to the SwiftBroadband service, and ARINC hope to benefit from this. Enhancements include multiple voice channels and data speed increases from 432kbps to 700kbps. Further ahead this will be followed by Inmarsat’s Ka-band Global Xpress system based on the new generation Inmarsat-5 satellites, set for the airline market in 2014.

For more information please visit: cabinconnect.aero

Advance Passenger Information System (APIS) Pilot Service for Cyprus by ARINC

April 4, 2012

ARINC’s EMEA Government & Security Division have installed its Advance Passenger Information System (APIS) messaging service to support a pilot Advance Passenger Information (API) message transmission project for the Cyprus Police and Civil Registry and Migration Department within the Ministry of Interior.

ARINC Advance Passenger Information System

The APIS service was deployed to support evaluation of the use of API as part of enhanced border control in Cyprus. The project was conducted in full cooperation with the Cyprus Police and Civil Registry and Migration.

“ARINC greatly values the relationship we have established with the Cyprus Police and the research and development department” said Ray Batt, ARINC Director, Government & Security. “ARINC is eager to become an important technology partner with the Cyprus Police and Civil Registry and Migration Department at the Ministry of Interior and to further assist Cyprus in reaching its future border control objectives.”

“This APIS pilot system is based on our latest Advance Passenger Information eXchange (APIX) platform,” Batt continued. “We strongly believe that the future will demand a continuous increase in the integration of intelligence-led border control systems with advance border control information systems, using Advance Passenger Information (API). The use of API will help increase border security and make the process faster and simpler for the travelling public.”

For more information on APIS please visit avisec-messaging.com

ARINC’s AviNet®Mail Service Marks Ten Years; Message Volume Now Exceeds 30 Million per Day

March 22, 2012