Annapolis, Maryland, USA | August 18, 2011 -— In a significant competitive win, ARINC Incorporated has been awarded the contract to provide Eurocontrol with a test system to validate the functioning of VDL Mode 2 (VDL2) avionics in a multi-frequency environment.

ARINC’s validation system will be installed in a new laboratory at the Eurocontrol Experimental Centre (EEC) in Bretigny, France, the same location where ARINC installed a VDL2 testbed in 2004 for Eurocontrol under the Link2000 Program.

Validation of avionics will be a critical step for the European air transport community, which faces a DataLink Services Implementing Rule to implement Controller-Pilot Data Link Communications (CPDLC), based on VDL Mode 2 avionics, for Air Traffic Control communications.

“This is an important new agreement for both ARINC and Eurocontrol,” stated Andy Hubbard, ARINC EMEA Managing Director. “It extends a successful 10-year strategic partnership that underpinned the rollout of VDL Mode 2 in the Maastricht FIR under the Link2000 Program. And it retains the 10-year knowledge base acquired by both parties to accelerate the progress of CPDLC moving forward.”

Europe’s busy Maastricht Upper Air Center and many CPDLC “pioneer” airlines have been using VDL Mode 2 communications since 2004 under the EC Link2000 Program. But with anticipated growth of air traffic going forward, multiple VDL2 frequencies will soon be needed to support the required capacity. All VDL2 systems will need to operate reliably in a multi-frequency environment by changing channels as required to maximize performance and avoid frequency congestion. Testing of this functionality has not been done before.

Under EC Regulation #29/2009, the “core” air navigation service providers in Europe must be operating CPDLC in upper airspace by February 2013. All new aircraft delivered from February 2011 must have a CPDLC system on board, and a significant number of older aircraft must be retrofitted by February 2015.

ARINC initially provided a test system at the Bretigny EEC facility to test avionics behavior in a single-frequency VDL Mode 2 laboratory environment. With the new ARINC system, Eurocontrol is now preparing to carry out laboratory tests of avionics in a multi-frequency environment. Installation work will be completed by December 15, 2011 and the facility should go live shortly thereafter.

Multi frequency capability for VDL Mode 2 is a significant development for the industry, as it will help ensure sufficient network capacity and resilience in the future. ARINC’s VDL Mode 2 service, GLOBALink/VDLM2, is available in most busy airspaces worldwide.

ARINC Incorporated, a portfolio company of The Carlyle Group, provides communications, engineering and integration solutions for commercial, defense and government customers worldwide. Headquartered in Annapolis, Maryland with regional headquarters in London and Singapore, ARINC is ISO 9001:2008 certified. For more information, visit the web site at www.arinc.com.

July 28, 2011 | Singapore – ARINC Incorporated today announced that Taiwan-based international carrier EVA Airways, a unit of the Evergreen Group, has contracted for ARINC’s GLOBALinkSM Satellite Communications (SATCOM) services to enhance its passenger and flight deck communications.

The new satellite connectivity will offer higher bandwidth for improved access to vital flight information by EVA flight crews, as well as seamless in-flight connectivity for EVA passengers, who will be able to stay in touch via e-mail, instant messaging channels, or short message service (SMS).

The 20-year-old carrier selected ARINC GLOBALink as the Air/Ground Data Link communications provider for its entire fleet. The ARINC solution provides near-instantaneous delivery of vital operational and control information such as weather, diversions, and emergencies between EVA Airways air and ground crews. The result is greater accuracy and faster turnaround times, which ultimately enhance the airline’s flight operations and safety.

Besides delivering a robust Air/Ground Data Link solution, ARINC collaborated with Panasonic Avionics to enhance EVA Airways’ In Flight Entertainment (IFE) offering with Seatback Messaging, a versatile and convenient application that lets passengers send e-mails and SMS communications throughout their flights. It utilizes the airline’s existing IFE infrastructure to provide full e-mail and SMS capabilities, providing the airline with an inexpensive connectivity suite.

“We are impressed with the results produced by ARINC’s technologies,” said Mr. Lee Kang, Junior Vice President, EVA Airways. “The benefits that their GLOBALink solutions can offer are in line with our requirements and expectations—seamless connectivity, operational flexibility, and cost-effectiveness.”

“ARINC is gratified that EVA Airways has selected us for their SATCOM requirements,” commented Jim L. Martin, Managing Director of ARINC’s Asia Pacific Division. “We will continue supporting them with our technologies and look forward to building a long and mutually beneficial partnership with EVA Airways.”

GLOBALink is a seamless, end-to-end data link system that enables air crews to communicate and exchange information with ground crews and airline host systems anywhere in the world, without interruption. Data link provides clear, accurate, unambiguous data communications directly to the crew, either via the multifunctional control display unit or via a cockpit printer. Compared with voice communications, data link improves flight deck processes and increases efficiency.

GLOBALink Cabin Applications enable airline passengers to stay connected in the air just as they can on the ground. Whether it’s chatting on-line via Instant Messenger, checking their sports team’s latest scores, or obtaining the most up-to-date weather report for their destination, airlines can rest assured they are offering passengers the best in-flight experience possible.

Annapolis, Maryland, USA, June 3, 2011—ARINC Incorporated today announced it has been awarded the contract for a new passenger check-in system at George Best Belfast City Airport, a busy regional airport in Northern Ireland.

ARINC has already started installation of its vMUSE EnterpriseTM hosted check-in solution, which reduces airport IT costs, power consumption, and space requirements while delivering the efficiency of a modern common-use passenger system.

“The check-in costs at Belfast City Airport will be optimised with our hosted CUPPS (Common Use Passenger Processing) service,” stated Tony Chapman, Senior Director, Integrated Travel Solutions, ARINC EMEA. “Hosted services are becoming increasingly popular due to the economic benefits they offer, and most experts believe the next decade will see a significant move from PC-based applications to hosted models.”

Raymond Hooke, Airside Operations Manager, Belfast City Airport, stated that “The vMUSE Enterprise concept brings to the table a number of key advantages including a much smaller capital investment, lower energy consumption, less space requirements and a significantly reduced roll out time. Additionally, because the system monitoring and administration is accomplished in real time at the ARINC date center, there is no need for an IT administrator exclusively focused on the passenger check-in system. From our first encounter with ARINC, it was clear they were a highly efficient and agile organization who could listen, as well as understand, client requirements and were prepared to customize their solution accordingly.”

Airports that adopt ARINC’s hosted check-in service can replace their costly on-site servers and workstations with simpler and less expensive ‘thin client’ hardware. The actual processing of passenger data is accomplished at ARINC’s data center, with data delivered back to the airport desk in real time as a hosted service.

Moving software functions that were formerly on the airport user’s workstation into ‘virtual machines’ located in ARINC’s data center provides security benefits as well as reducing capital and operational expenses.

“Our hosted check-in is, in effect, software as a service,” continued Chapman. “It delivers a scalable, low cost check-in solution for airports. It is totally reliable, utterly secure, and minimizes potential lost revenues associated with outages caused by system failures.”

The hosted approach provided by ARINC’s vMUSE Enterprise service enables ‘thin client’ devices—user workstations without hard drives or moving parts—to be used in place of conventional computers at service desks, and eliminates the need for expensive on-site servers and associated infrastructure. It also allows for additional workstations to be added much more quickly than in a conventional installation, and the extended MTBF (Mean Time Between Failure) rate allows for lower service costs.

ARINC Incorporated, a portfolio company of The Carlyle Group, provides communications, engineering and integration solutions for commercial, defense and government customers worldwide. Headquartered in Annapolis, Maryland with regional headquarters in London and Singapore, ARINC is ISO 9001:2008 certified. For more information, visit the web site at www.arinc.com.

September 15, 2010 (Annapolis, Maryland) — ARINC Incorporated today announced it has developed and tested a software solution to allow live credit card authorization for passenger transactions on airline flights.

The company and its partner Cathay Pacific Airlines recently completed a successful trial of the Live CCA technology that began in March.
“We had excellent results from our initial airline testing,” stated Mike DiGeorge, Senior Director, Aviation Solutions, ARINC EMEA. “This achievement is a world first, and a major step in meeting today’s demand for increasingly sophisticated passenger amenities.”
Live CCA is seen as a key application that could help airlines manage the problem of bad credit card debt. It can also provide the potential for ancillary revenue through additional sales streams of destination-based products and greater sales of high-end duty free goods.
ARINC worked closely with Cathay Pacific and its Duty Free point-of-sale (POS) provider to develop the necessary software, which is incorporated in the POS device and the aircraft server. In use, passenger credit card transactions entered on the POS device are encrypted and sent via Iridium satellite to the ARINC ground network, and then to the Airline’s own network which interfaces with the credit card clearing house. Reply information from the clearing house is sent back to the aircraft, and the cabin crew is made aware of any unsuccessful authorization requests.

Although the solution just tested was developed specifically to expedite duty-free purchases on Cathay Pacific flights, the principles and supporting technology may be generalized for other types of on-board sales, and for use by other carriers. ARINC has already received requests from several airlines, one of which intends to use Live CCA to facilitate sales of high-end duty-free items and seat upgrades during the flight.

ARINC is currently working to expand the communication protocols available to include Inmarsat SATCOM (both Classic and SwiftBroadband). The Company is also working to ensure the Live CCA solution will function with multiple POS devices, and is investigating the optimum hardware approach to ensure Live CCA can be made available to all airlines with a need for it.

ARINC’s Live CCA service is an innovative addition to the in-flight application suite of communication and entertainment options the company has pioneered for passengers on both private and commercial flights

The Aircraft Interiors mash-up in Hamburg ended this past week with some very interesting and unpredicted trends in the IFE space. For sure, the move toward smaller, thinner, lighter and more capable electronics was present. Second, third, and fourth generation electronics were claimed in the thin seat/thin and smart IFE world. Without a doubt, this is the trend of the next round of seatback/seat hardware. We really liked the Thales product!

There were a number of R&D projects almost ready for prime time: A wireless seat power development project that claimed 97% efficiency from KID (isn’t that better than wire?); a really great in-seat power supply design concept (Recaro and KID), which removed the seat power box and placed it in a central seat tube; a rapid prototyping capability for seat peripheral products (IFPC); a new, simple, content aggregation software from an Italian supplier; a new satcom/radio software data reduction algorithm that lops 40% of the overhead budget (TriaGnoSys); a new line of inflight hardware from a predominantly portable IFE supplier; a big sale for one fiber-optic IFE provider; two new seat power boxes; a 65” LCD Display; and so much more.

There is a big deal underway in IFE gatelink data that promises to expand ground-based IFE/airplane data that may finally automate that last node on the airline networks – the aircraft. It may do so by the build-up of ground-based networking…not in-flight connectivity. This offering looks like another SITA or ARINC and may incorporate their efforts as well. We will report on this project in the upcoming weeks.

iPad, iPad, iPad is all we heard about. No less that 8 vendors at the Hamburg Show had them in their booth. One even professed that it will be used as an inflight IFE offering. We do not know how it will ever pass DO-160 specifications so that rules out an imbedded application, but hope springs eternal. Additionally, the unit still stumbles with the lack of file handling capabilities and multitasking…not to mention security issues around file encryption. One rumor on the floor placed a major movie distributer in the booth of one vendor claiming they must print a retraction to an earlier news release claiming iPad first run movies? You can believe what you may but you heard it here first.

On the road, we wanted to give a tip-of-the-hat to Seattle Tacoma International Airport for their much appreciated, free Wi-Fi offered to all travelers. In an interview, the airport claimed that it costs them easily over $100,000 each year given the fees and royalties paid by service providers. Airports are not friendly places any more, but the folks at SeaTac deserve mention.

We hear Alaska Airlines will be offering introductory free Go-go Wi-Fi service till July 31, this year.

While air travel to and from the Hamburg show was nothing short of madness, thanks to the Icelandic volcano, we worry about the long-term impact on European air travel and airlines. Having experienced the absolute breakdown of one airline’s ability to manage the emergency we wonder if there are any management solutions to random weather emergencies? One thing for sure, it is going to cost us all more to fly!

Annapolis, Maryland, USA, April 1, 2010—ARINC Incorporated today announced it has been named a Distribution Partner (DP) by Inmarsat for its high-speed SwiftBroadbandSM satellite communications service.

ARINC is the world’s largest provider of aeronautical satellite communications for commercial airlines, government/military and business aviation. Its new status as Distribution Partner will result in a number of compelling tailored solutions for the aviation market, since ARINC can purchase airtime directly from Inmarsat, instead of through intermediate providers.

“ARINC plans to provide SwiftBroadband connectivity in a one-stop transaction,” said Andy Hubbard, ARINC Aviation Solutions Director, Europe, Middle East & Africa. “Our customers will not need to source a communications pipe separately, as it will be part of a package with flight applications, connectivity software, and technical support.”

Perry Melton, Inmarsat COO, said “Inmarsat is delighted to further extend our long-standing partnership with ARINC, which has a prominent position in delivering end-to-end solutions for the Aeronautical industry. Working with partners like ARINC is key to the continued success and record growth of SwiftBroadband we have seen to date.”

Bob Richard, ARINC Senior Director, ARINC DirectSM said: “ARINC welcomes this major step forward in our longstanding and successful business relationship with Inmarsat. The designation of Distribution Partner validates the capability and quality of ARINC’s global services operations.”

ARINC offers a range of aircraft applications on the “classic” Inmarsat services of Aero-L, Aero-H/H+, and Aero-I, as well as Swift 64 and SwiftBroadband. The company launched a new marketing initiative for SwiftBroadband to customers effective April 1. As a Distribution Partner, ARINC will be able to sell high-speed SwiftBroadband service more aggressively in its traditional markets of Commercial Aviation, Government/Military, and Business Aviation, as well as in direct sales to other Service Providers.

SwiftBroadband provides ground-to-air and air-to-ground connectivity up to 432Kbps for high-speed data. It is capable of supporting a wide range of crew and passenger applications, Voice communications, Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) applications, passenger telephony including in-seat, mobile, VoIP and text messaging, E-mail, Internet, intranet, instant messaging, secure VPN access, and in-flight news updates. SwiftBroadband can also provide a pre-determined quality of service through streaming classes of 8, 16, 32, 64 or 128kbps, and higher bandwidths.

Annapolis, Maryland, USA, March 8, 2010—Commercial passenger flights and business jets in South Africa can now have better access to important flight messages and data with newly-expanded ACARS® data link coverage from ARINC Incorporated.

In cooperation with South Africa’s Air Traffic and Navigation Services (ATNS), ARINC recently installed a new VHF ACARS data link station at Cape Town, and inaugurated coverage in December. The new station will enable better in-flight data transfer and communications between airline operations and aircraft flight decks.

Cape Town International is South Africa’s second busiest airport and a major gateway for tourists. ARINC is expanding its data link coverage in advance of the 2010 World Cup, which will take place in South Africa during June and July. Teams from 32 nations will play at eight different venues stretched across more than a thousand miles of South Africa. An influx of international visitors and greatly increased air traffic are expected.

“Our Cape Town data link coverage is part of a series of major investments ARINC is making across the whole of the Europe, Middle East and Africa region,” stated Andy Wood, ARINC EMEA Program Director. “New station deployments like this one benefit our European-based airline customers such as Virgin Atlantic and Lufthansa who fly to the African main bases, as well as many international airlines flying to Johannesburg, where we also provide VHF ACARS coverage.”

ARINC VHF ACARS data link service provides airlines with faster and more reliable operational messaging than traditional voice radio. Carriers using data link benefit from greater efficiency and on-time performance.

ARINC’s data link services are built on an integrated worldwide network of VHF and HF ground stations, along with Inmarsat and Iridium satellite networks, to provide seamless data communications to aircraft anywhere in the world. ARINC’s exclusive HFDL (High Frequency Data Link) service gives carriers such as South African Airways cost-effective global coverage across oceans, continents and polar regions while seamlessly interfacing with VHF and SATCOM communications.

Annapolis, Maryland, USA, March 8, 2010—Commercial passenger flights and business jets in South Africa can now have better access to important flight messages and data with newly-expanded ACARS® data link coverage from ARINC Incorporated.

In cooperation with South Africa’s Air Traffic and Navigation Services (ATNS), ARINC recently installed a new VHF ACARS data link station at Cape Town, and inaugurated coverage in December. The new station will enable better in-flight data transfer and communications between airline operations and aircraft flight decks.

Cape Town International is South Africa’s second busiest airport and a major gateway for tourists. ARINC is expanding its data link coverage in advance of the 2010 World Cup, which will take place in South Africa during June and July. Teams from 32 nations will play at eight different venues stretched across more than a thousand miles of South Africa. An influx of international visitors and greatly increased air traffic are expected.

“Our Cape Town data link coverage is part of a series of major investments ARINC is making across the whole of the Europe, Middle East and Africa region,” stated Andy Wood, ARINC EMEA Program Director. “New station deployments like this one benefit our European-based airline customers such as Virgin Atlantic and Lufthansa who fly to the African main bases, as well as many international airlines flying to Johannesburg, where we also provide VHF ACARS coverage.”

ARINC VHF ACARS data link service provides airlines with faster and more reliable operational messaging than traditional voice radio. Carriers using data link benefit from greater efficiency and on-time performance.

ARINC’s data link services are built on an integrated worldwide network of VHF and HF ground stations, along with Inmarsat and Iridium satellite networks, to provide seamless data communications to aircraft anywhere in the world. ARINC’s exclusive HFDL (High Frequency Data Link) service gives carriers such as South African Airways cost-effective global coverage across oceans, continents and polar regions while seamlessly interfacing with VHF and SATCOM communications.

ARINC Incorporated, a portfolio company of The Carlyle Group, provides communications, engineering and integration solutions for commercial, defense and government customers worldwide. Headquartered in Annapolis, Maryland with regional headquarters in London and Singapore, ARINC is ISO 9001:2008 certified. For more information, visit the web site at www.arinc.com.

Annapolis, Maryland, USA —ARINC Incorporated has announced completion of the first integration and testing of eXchangeTM with Service by SKYLinkSM on a Boeing Business Jet (BBJ), the world’s largest production business jet.

The installation combines Rockwell Collins’ eXchange satellite broadband avionics with ARINC’s SKYLink Ku-band satellite service, and adds several in-flight communications features not available elsewhere.

“The customer for this jet ordered “the best of the best” in terms of onboard communication services,” stated Robert Thompson, ARINC Senior Director, SKYLink. “We have responded with an advanced, integrated cabin communications suite that we will soon make available to other customers.”

The enhanced onboard system supports fully functioning operations of a modern iPhone, allowing it to perform like a PC on a ground network. It also supports UMA voice calling, access to e-mail and corporate intranet (VPN), the Internet, Voice over IP (VoIP) global telephone service, and videoconferencing. In an industry first, the system includes a terminal wireless LAN unit (TWLU) as a wireless bridge from the aircraft cabin LAN to ground-based public and private networks, enabling 802.11a/b/g data transfers when a ground based 802.11a/b/g network is located for use.

In flight, the system features seamless handoffs between SKYLink’s Ku-band satellite service and Inmarsat SwiftBroadbandTM service, creating a seamless global network that combines the two services as one. A unique manual option alerts users whenever they are leaving SKYLink coverage—important for cost-conscious customers who may want to know when usage will be at a more expensive rate.

The enhanced communications suite also includes guaranteed voice telephony through Quality of Service (QOS) functionality. This makes voice packets a higher priority than data, allowing voice calls to continue smoothly without interruption or degradation of service while data is being sent.

ARINC expects to receive a second order for this unique BBJ communications system in the very near future.

eXchange, which uses ViaSat’s broadband terminal hardware and ARINC’s SKYLink, is the world’s first broadband Internet solution for business jets, with more than 100 private, corporate and government aircraft users. With true broadband speeds as high as 3.5 Mbps it provides a high-speed Internet connection for an “office in the sky” experience. ARINC Direct has recently expanded its SKYLink network, which now includes substantial coverage of Europe, North America, the Caribbean, Central America, parts of South America, and the North Atlantic and Pacific flight tracks.

ARINC Incorporated, a portfolio company of The Carlyle Group, provides communications, engineering and integration solutions for commercial, defense and government customers worldwide. Headquartered in Annapolis, Maryland with regional headquarters in London and Singapore, ARINC is ISO 9001:2008 certified. For more information, visit the web site at www.arinc.com.

September 23, 2009 – Annapolis, Maryland – Unveiling a completely new sales strategy, the EMEA Division of ARINC Incorporated today announced it will seek local alliances with experienced IT firms and systems integrators to market the company’s industry-leading passenger systems to hundreds of smaller airports across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

ARINC’s London office has already started discussions with several qualified candidates capable of acting as channel partners in Central, Southern, and Eastern Europe. The company said dozens of mid-size airports and many smaller ones are presently under-served with passenger technology.

“There is clearly a sizable market of mid-size and smaller airports throughout EMEA, which we intend to address through a network of local channel partners and agents,” said Tony Chapman, Senior Director ITS, ARINC EMEA. “These new alliances will finally bring modern common-use airport technology and efficient passenger handling within the reach of these airport operators, to the great benefit of air travel everywhere.”

ARINC is one of the world’s largest providers of airport passenger systems, with implementations at more than 400 airports. ARINC technologies include common-use check-in and departure systems, self-service kiosks, off-site check-in systems, flight information displays, baggage messaging systems, and airport operational databases—all typically found at larger airports in major cities. Such systems have recently become more affordable for smaller airports, due to improved technology and economies of scale. ARINC stands to take an early industry lead by introducing cost-effective common-use passenger systems with major operating advantages to mid-size and smaller airports.

“By opening our Channel Partner Program, we also stand to gain greatly from the expertise of highly qualified companies and agents who understand the local language, culture, business and market forces across EMEA,” Chapman added.

The company will select Channel Partners partially on their ability to provide in-region networking, contacts, and technical knowledge. Good candidates will have solid industry background, with existing business links to airports and/or local capabilities for maintenance and support. Likely candidates may already offer business services to Airports, Airlines, or Ground Handlers, and be operating as Systems Integrators, or in software engineering or airport construction.

ARINC views its new Channel Partner program as an indirect sales revenue stream to complement Regional sales efforts focused on EMEA’s major international airports.

Companies chosen as ARINC Certified Partners will have wide operating latitude to source, sell, and install airport systems and provide ongoing maintenance under license from ARINC. Companies named as ARINC Agent Partners will principally locate, qualify, and engage with airport marketing opportunities, then rely on technical, integration, and deployment services provided by ARINC.

ARINC Incorporated, a portfolio company of The Carlyle Group, provides communications, engineering and integration solutions for commercial, defense and government customers worldwide. Headquartered in Annapolis, Maryland with regional headquarters in London and Singapore, ARINC is ISO 9001:2008 certified.

September 3, 2009 – Singapore – ARINC Incorporated, a world leader in advanced aviation communications, will demonstrate its next-generation OiTM Onboard Internet Service featuring interactive In Flight Entertainment (IFE) capabilities, at Aircraft Interiors Expo-Asia, in Hong Kong, Sept. 8-10.

With the interactive capability of Oi, passengers may use their own laptops or the airline’s IFE system to surf the Internet, listen to and watch podcasts, and to keep up with the pulse of the latest sports and global news.

“Oi Onboard Internet allows airlines to take their In-Flight Entertainment offerings to the next level, with interactive web applications and the content today’s passengers want,” said Dan Pendergast, Senior Director, Airline Programs of ARINC’s Asia Pacific Division. “Oi empowers passengers with the ability to send important e-mails and keep in touch with friends, family and colleagues at any time during their flight.”

Oi Onboard Internet Service is fully customizable by each airline, allowing carriers to build differentiated In-Flight Entertainment services for a better customer experience. The flexible Oi offerings can include combinations of free and paid content. In addition, airlines can explore a range of passenger payment options including credit cards. The flexibility of Oi gives airlines the full benefit of a high quality, optimal IFE experience for their passengers.

“We developed Oi to provide the next generation of onboard interactivity and IFE content for airlines and their passengers, through partnerships with leading content providers and hardware manufacturers, and making use of our own expertise in airline communications,” continued Pendergast. “Ultimately, this advance is about empowering passengers to connect and communicate with people in real time, any time.”

ARINC will demonstrate Oi’s capabilities along with other innovative IFE services that provide passengers with instantaneous communications and live news updates in a user-friendly format. Demonstrations will be at ARINC’s Booth 9B42, in Hall 9 at Expo-Asia, Sept. 8-10. Aircraft Interiors Expo-Asia, Hong Kong is the regional showcase for IFE, connectivity, and passenger services, and the leading venue in the Asia Pacific region for the aircraft interiors industry.

ARINC Incorporated, a portfolio company of The Carlyle Group, provides communications, engineering and integration solutions for commercial, defense and government customers worldwide. Headquartered in Annapolis, Maryland with regional headquarters in London and Singapore, ARINC is ISO 9001:2008 certified.

August 6, 2009 – Annapolis, Maryland—ARINC Incorporated today announced that Bournemouth Airport, the first airport in Europe with ARINC’s new vMUSETM common-use technology, can now provide airline customers full access to a second departure control system—Codeco—through the vMUSE system.

Servisair, which manages passenger operations for eight airlines at Bournemouth, became the launch customer for vMUSE earlier this year using the UltraSEATS departure control system. The vMUSE technology provided flexible and accurate printing of correct logos on plain paper boarding passes.

Following that successful deployment, Servisair requested addition of the Codeco DCS, taking advantage of the same plain paper print capability. ARINC was able to implement the new DCS on the live vMUSE system at Bournemouth within a day.

“Our vMUSE solution has now been accepted as a success by both Bournemouth IT and Servisair,” states Tony Chapman, ARINC Senior Program Director, Airport Services. “It’s further evidence of the ease with which vMUSE readily supports multiple DCS’s and produces flexible results using plain paper ATP’s.”

ARINC vMUSE is capable of serving multiple charter and scheduled airlines in one economical common-use system, without the costly re-engineering of departure control software normally required. vMUSE also reduces operational costs for airports with its Windows-based, plain-paper printing of boarding passes.

With its lower implementation cost and reduced hardware and support requirements, ARINC vMUSE will enable the widespread adoption of common-use operations by smaller airport terminals. Many airports that could not previously justify common-use solutions now can afford vMUSE. It simplifies the check-in process, saves valuable terminal space, and delivers more efficient operation. Bournemouth now uses inexpensive WindowsTM plain paper printers at 12 check-in stations and 4 boarding gates.

“Bournemouth is engaged in a £45 million investment to enhance our passenger experience, and the vMUSE check-in and departure system is an important part of this plan.” stated John Seymour, Terminal Engineering Manager. “Along with our terminal expansion, new lounges, greater capacity, and additional aircraft stands, the vMUSE system will help us achieve an outstanding level of convenience for Bournemouth passengers.”

Bournemouth Airport serves over a million passengers annually with destinations in Europe and the Mediterranean and seasonal service to the Caribbean and North Africa. Bournemouth was ranked 3rd best airport in the world in 2008 by the Daily Telegraph Travel Awards. For more information, visit the web site at www.bournemouthairport.com.

ARINC Incorporated, a portfolio company of The Carlyle Group, provides communications, engineering and integration solutions for commercial, defense and government customers worldwide. Headquartered in Annapolis, Maryland with regional headquarters in London and Singapore, ARINC is ISO 9001:2008 certified.

June 16, 2009 – Annapolis, Maryland, and Cedar Rapids, Iowa—ARINC DirectSM and Rockwell Collins today announced the successful integration of their broadband solution for business jets—eXchangeTM with Service by SKYLinkSM—on a customer’s Bombardier Challenger 604 business jet.

eXchange with Service by SKYLink includes Rockwell Collins eXchange avionics, coupled with SKYLink Ku-band satellite service from ARINC Direct.

The Challenger 604 installation was performed at the ARINC Direct aircraft maintenance and integration facility in Colorado Springs (COS), using an STC developed under ARINC’s ODA (Organization Designation Authorization). This first-of-type STC was completed April 11, 2009, for ARINC customer Servicios Aéreos Denim, S.A. de C.V., based in Mexico.

This installation adds the Challenger 604 to the list of airframes with STCs available for eXchange/SKYLink service. ARINC Direct plans to make the Challenger STC available to qualified aircraft maintenance and integration facilities, along with the recently developed STC for the Cessna Citation X and the upcoming STC (in-progress) for the Boeing BBJ. Interested operators should contact their ARINC Direct Regional Sales Manager for more information by calling 1-866-321-6060.

eXchange with Service by SKYLink is a real-time, two-way satellite connectivity system providing true broadband speeds of up to 3.5Mbps to the aircraft. Operating on a Ku-band satellite constellation, SKYLink coverage begins when the system is turned on and continuously operates during taxi, takeoff, flight, and landing. It enables customers to access e-mail, corporate intranets (VPN) and the Internet, with options for global Voice over IP (VoIP) telephone service and videoconferencing. In addition, eXchange supports data connectivity for select Wi-Fi enabled smartphones, such as the RIM Blackberry models 8320 and 8820, allowing users to access e-mail and other data services.

The SKYLink Ku-band service is used on more than 95 corporate, personal, and government aircraft based in North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. The coverage area includes the continental United States, most of Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, northern South America, Canada, the North Atlantic Ocean, and Europe. The addition of Caribbean coverage in 2008 and Pacific coverage in 2009 means today’s users of the SKYLink network can fly from Europe to North America, across the Caribbean, and on to Asia or Central and South America without losing access to important e-mail or Internet applications. Future expansion of the system into other regions in the world—including Asia, the Middle East, where business aircraft travel is rapidly expanding—is being explored by the SKYLink team.

Rockwell Collins operates one of the world’s largest avionics service networks, and sells and supports the eXchange hardware worldwide. ARINC is the world’s leading provider of aeronautical satellite services and supports eXchange customers through its established SKYLink satellite network.

Rockwell Collins (NYSE: COL) is a pioneer in the development and deployment of innovative communication and aviation electronic solutions for both commercial and government applications. Our expertise in flight deck avionics, cabin electronics, mission communications and information management, and simulation and training is strengthened by 20,000 employees, and a global service and support network that crosses 27 countries. To find out more, please visit www.rockwellcollins.com.

ARINC Incorporated, a portfolio company of The Carlyle Group, provides communications, engineering and integration solutions for commercial, defense and government customers worldwide. Headquartered in Annapolis, Maryland with regional headquarters in London and Singapore, ARINC is ISO 9001 certified.

ARINC is making good progress with the development of its Onboard Internet ‘Oi’ following prove of concept trials. A year since the new service was first showcased in Europe to airline attendees at the Aircraft Interiors Show in Hamburg, the company is preparing to have its technology fitted to a commercial airliner by the fourth quarter of this year (November), closely followed by flight trials.

“Response from the world’s airlines has been extremely positive, even in these economic challenging times, when carriers are tightening their belts,” acknowledges Andy Hubbard, Director of Aviation Solutions for ARINC EMEA. ARINC, which is marking 80 years of providing diverse engineering and communications innovations in the industry is participating at this event, during March 31-April 2 at Hall 6, C10.

Oi internet technology for personal laptops is innovative in that it isn’t dependent on an air to ground connection – rather it is loaded aboard the aircraft prior to departure. The Service is designed to operate from Inmarsat’s new high bandwidth Swift Broadband satcom service – a standard two-channel installation that mimics the ADSL connections in common use today. Passengers will be able to enjoy a wide variety of live web content via their laptops – accessible from Mac and PC programmes. They can surf the internet or chat on social networking sites from the comfort of their seat with flexible payment options – by the hour, by day or per flight sector. Oi can facilitate real time news and sports flashes, listen to news and sport bulletins; and even watch and download the latest podcasts to their laptops.

Passengers simply switch on their PC and, using either a wireless or wired platform, are instantly connected to ARINC’s Laptop Intranet Portal. The Portal will be fully customised to each airline’s requirement – whether a carrier wants BBC or Sky News as standard, for example. It will support a combination of free view or paid for applications. Oi will feature a range of price points to suit most budgets and ARINC envisages webmail prices will be under US$10 a flight, with attachments beyond a certain size requiring an extra charge. A number of payment methods will be offered – including credit card payments or pre-paid cards that ask for special access codes. Passengers can also pay via their usual mobile on internet service provider accounts.

ARINC first demonstrated its Laptop Connectivity at the September 2007 World Airline Entertainment Association congress, receiving much acclaim for the product offering. As the solution is software-based it can be easily installed on most of the higher specification IFE servers already on many of the world’s leading airlines, several of whom are now talking with ARINC about Oi.

In February, Inmarsat achieved global coverage for the SwiftBroadband service, following the launch of the last of three satellites last August.