Satcom, Honeywell appointed partners by Inmarsat

Inmarsat has appointed Satcom Direct (SD) and Honeywell Aerospace as global distribution partners for its next-generation SwiftBroadband-Safety aviation service.

The two companies will provide commercial airlines and business aviation operators throughout the world with SwiftBroadband-Safety, a new service from Inmarsat that will improve cockpit and aircraft operations through the use of secure broadband connectivity.

“SwiftBroadband-Safety has received a lot of industry support, underscored by its recent selection by Airbus for its A320 and A330 aircraft families, and successful ongoing evaluations by Hawaiian Airlines,” said Frederik van Essen, Inmarsat Aviation’s senior vice president of strategy and business development.

“The world’s aircraft fleet is expected to double by 2035, and substantial advancements in technology are introducing exciting new possibilities when it comes to safety and navigation. SwiftBroadband-Safety will deliver significant benefits for both the commercial airline and business aviation markets.”

The service uses secure IP-based broadband connectivity, enabling a range of aviation applications such as flight data streaming and real-time electronic flight bag applications, including networked graphical weather.

It also enables air traffic management modernisation programs throughout the world and meets the requirements of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)’s Global Aeronautical Distress Safety System (GADSS), including global flight tracking, by offering reliable and secure satellite surveillance and communications (FANS/ACARS).

“We anticipate strong demand in safety services from commercial airline and business aviation markets across the world,” said John Peterson, director of marketing and product management at Honeywell Aerospace.

“The next-generation platform’s flexibility opens up a vast amount of possibilities in terms of how customers can optimise their cockpit and aircraft operations,” said Chris Moore, chief commercial officer at Satcom Direct.

The hardware will become a standard option on new aircraft deliveries from 2018.