BRITISH AIRWAYS is expected to place an order for 3,400 active-noise-control headsets for its pilots by the end of this month. Germany's Sennheiser and Bose of the USA are bidding for the contract, which could be worth over £1 million ($1.6 million).
The UK airline decided to opt for the headsets after several in-flight incidents were attributed to misinterpreted air-traffic-control instructions. A subsequent study by the airline concluded that noise levels were unacceptably high in the cockpits of all of its aircraft. except the Boeing 767 and 777.
Sennheiser is offering its HMEC 25 headset. According to Karlheinz Koinzack, Sennheiser's consumer and aviation manager, the company is also in negotiation with other airlines, including Lufthansa.
Source: Flight International
