At a time when new business aircraft production rates are slumping, ArincDirect, the Rockwell Collins flight services provider, claims it is experiencing rapid growth. This suggests that flying activity in the markets it serves—business aviation and government/VIP transport—is on an upswing. 

“Our business is growing from a sales and revenue perspective at nearly double digits,” Dave Poltorak, vice president of business and government aviation services at Rockwell Collins, told AIN. 

The number of aircraft subscribing to ArincDirect services has topped 5,000, and this includes more than 1,000 in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region, according to the company 

The ArincDirect portfolio covers a variety of services, many of which came from acquisitions by Rockwell Collins. These include service provider Arinc, flight planning and handling company Air Routing International and operations software developer Flight Operations System (FOS). “We continue to increase what we’re investing in the business,” he said. “You’ll see us revitalizing our portfolio and adding new capabilities, giving the [customers] what they want,” Poltorak said.

One area where ArincDirect (Booth V88) has seen a rapid change as it has integrated its services is the way customers use its products. The majority used to access services via the ArincDirect website, but that has shifted to mobile devices. “In the last 18 months,” he said, “we’ve seen the use of our ArincDirect iPad app triple. Web use is growing at a slower rate, in the single digits. It’s an interesting trend to see people are focused on mobile devices. As we see the next generation entering aviation, they’re used to gaining access through phones, iPads; whatever mobile device.”

That said, ArincDirect has focused its app development efforts on Apple’s iOS platform. “That is reflecting the majority of customers wanting to access our services,” Poltorak said. “Android should not be dismissed. It’s certainly prevalent, and we continue to look at how and when we should roll that into our roadmap.” The company’s Stage software for onboard content (movies, music, etc.) is available in iOS and Android versions. 

On the FOS side of the business, ArincDirect is investing in the next generation of FOS in partnership with Stellar Labs. Under a 10-year agreement signed last year, the two companies are developing an end-to-end flight operations management platform hosted on the Cloud, providing operators, flight departments and other users access to key flight and revenue management information through mobile devices and web browsers. This includes integrating FOS with Stellar’s charter marketplace. 

“What we’re doing with Stellar is setting the standard for revitalizing the entire ArincDirect user interface,” he said. “Customers will start seeing the results of this collaboration as early as this fall.” The user interface work will first impact FOS users, he added, then the rest of the ArincDirect portfolio. “We’re taking a brand new look at workflow and data flow,” he added, “focusing on how our customers use this and how to make it simple and intuitive.” ArincDirect is soliciting input from a FOS customer advisory board as well. “Their input is key in the direction where we’re going,” he said. 

Finally, ArincDirect is building out its capabilities as an airborne connectivity service provider, for customers who fly with Inmarsat SwiftBroadband and high-speed Global Xpress satcom systems. ArincDirect just announced that it has been selected as a global value-added reseller for Inmarsat’s Global Xpress service for government/VIP aircraft. “This is a growth area for us,” said Poltorak, “and we’re investing resources and innovating [in this area], with a dedicated team of developers to build applications around these pipes.”

ArincDirect recently rolled out its 3G/4G Ground Connect service, which enables seamless connectivity via terrestrial cellular networks when the aircraft is on the ground, avoiding high-cost satcom airtime. Another recent product release is the ArincDirect Network Analyzer app, which helps customers see how they are consuming various types of content as well as troubleshoot connectivity problems.