Interoperable inflight connectivity systems are on the horizon

The Seamless Air Alliance, an organisation working to develop and implement global standards for inflight connectivity, has announced details behind the Working Group that is putting into action their vision to deliver flexible connectivity systems to airlines.

With the participation of experts from across the industry, and led by co-chairs from Airbus and Boeing, this Working Group is leading the definition of new interoperability requirements for line-fit connectivity systems. The scope of this work item includes inflight connectivity, Aircraft Interface Device (AID) capability, and operational/administrative data including Electronic Flight Bag (EFB), aircraft health monitoring and more.

Arnaud Mestrallet, an end to end connectivity architect at Airbus Commercial said, “The goal is to simplify the aircraft installation with flexible satcom interfaces and also thanks to an industry-standard approach to facilitate future Satcom upgrades. This will enable airlines to always deliver an up-to-date connectivity experience to their passengers.”

His counterpart at Boeing, Bryan Wiltse, a specialist in cabin systems and feature strategy, added that, “The programme covers requirements for physical architecture and logical interfaces and ultimately delivers a more flexible system to the airline.”

Commenting on the Working Group, Jack Mandala, CEO of the Seamless Air Alliance said of the collaboration, “Achieving these goals required more than the resources of a single company. Together with experts from leading companies worldwide we are laying the groundwork for airlines to continue to deliver the latest and greatest inflight connectivity services to their passengers.”