Rockwell Collins arrives at Aircraft Interiors hot on the heels of its recent acquisition of Pacific Avionics, building on the Cedar Rapids, Iowa-headquartered company’s portfolio of in-flight solutions.
Singapore-based Pacific specialises in the wireless distribution digital media throughout an aircraft cabin, including the ability to stream video to more than 250 passengers simultaneously. The deal closed in late March.
Completion of that purchase, says Craig Elliott, newly appointed as vice-president air transport cabin solutions sales and marketing at Rockwell Collins, re-invigorates the company’s presence in the segment.
“The big part for us this year – and for a lot of folks that haven’t seen Rockwell Collins as active in traditional IFEC world for a while – is that we are in this business in a very serious way, both in the near- and longer-term,” he says.
Elliott says that the capture of Pacific builds on its 2013 purchase of Arinc: “Whether a passenger is trying to work within the aircraft or off the aircraft [via in-flight internet] we want to be able to have a solution that provides the experience they are looking for.”
While Pacific adds the in-aircraft element, allowing passengers to connect with content via their personal devices, Arinc provides the off-aircraft part of that offer.
The connectivity services, Elliott says, complement its existing Paves IFE system, whether overhead or in-seat, allowing Rockwell to offer an “holistic solution”.
The change in the business model has, he says, been driven by the development of the airline market that is “no longer divided into single- or twin-aisles, but short- or long-haul” with carriers utilising a wide mixture of equipment on different routes depending on the service they want to offer.
“We are able to offer solutions that meet an airlines needs irrespective of the mission profile the aircraft is flying," he says. "Wi-fi with no in-seat system could be fine on short-haul, but if you are flying for six hours you need to do something a little different.”
Source: Flight Daily News
