Thales has won an order from Singapore Airlines to equip its Airbus A350 XWBs with the electronics company’s Avant in-flight entertainment and Ka-band connectivity system. Thales executives believe their significant presence in Singapore helped in the decision, including its “innovation hub.”
Delivery of the cabin equipment, marketed under the InFlyt brand, is scheduled for 2018. Avant is based on the Android operating system, and Thales believes this very open and flexible platform was key in winning the contract from competitor Panasonic. Thales will assist Singapore Airlines in “constantly introducing the newest apps.”
Passengers will have access to seamless personal-device integration, USB charging and NFC payment technology. Business-class and economy passengers will enjoy full-HD displays of 17 and 12 inches, respectively. Weight and volume of the hardware have been cut by a claimed 20 percent, compared to the previous generation. Avant is already in service on the A350 with other airlines.
Thales (Stand F23) maintains an “innovation hub” in Singapore–its first one in the Eastern hemisphere. Opened in 2014, it uses “design thinking” methods, country director Jean-Noël Stock explained. Everything starts with helping the customer express its need – “it is real maieutics,” Stock said. A brainstorming phase is aimed at having as many ideas as possible emerging. The most promising ones are selected.
Then, rapid prototyping–an essential step, Stock emphasized–brings the solution to fruition. It uses a 3D printer or toy building bricks. “It is ‘quick and dirty’ but demonstrates whether the product is usable,” Stock went on. This takes place in a colored room where writing on the walls is allowed and encouraged.
A second, “more serious” room, in Stock’s words, makes it possible to “play” scenarios. After listening to user feedback, engineers enter a more conventional phase of design and development. The hub is open to all Thales teams in Singapore, and experts from other sites may be invited.
The innovation hub was inaugurated on October 14, 2014. Precisely one year later, Singapore Airlines was telling Thales its IFE product was selected. “We have shown them we could have a very close relationship, and the product can evolve according to their requirements,” Stock said. Another factor may have been the fact that Thales has IFE repair facilities at Singapore’s Changi airport.
Thales has another opportunity to grow in Asia thanks to the recommendation the civil aviation authority of China (CAAC) to install head-up displays (HUDs) in commercial aircraft cockpits. With one quarter of their fleets equipped with HUDs in 2015, Chinese airlines are expected to bring that number to 50 percent in 2020 and 100 percent in 2025. The recommendation includes dual HUDs, as both pilots thus have the same information, though compliance is not mandatory. Adding HUD technology should help deal with frequent poor visibility at a number of airports in China. The CAAC is subsidizing domestic airlines to purchase HUDs.
Thales is the only HUD supplier on Airbus aircraft and expects a surge in demand for equipping new aircraft and retrofitting others in China. India is predicted to follow suit. Airlines from other parts of the world (especially in the Middle East, according to Daniel Malka, Thales’ general manager for avionics services) are anticipating a requirement for HUDs to fly into China and are therefore ordering the hardware.