Boeing

Boeing and Singapore Airlines (SIA) have announced that the airline will add Boeing's Class 3 Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) Installation Kits on its entire fleet of new and existing 777s. The EFB installations are seen as key to support the airline's continuous improvements in efficiency and quality that have helped to solidify its place among the world's most profitable airlines. Singapore Airlines has 58 777s in service, which is the largest 777 fleet of any airline, and has an additional 19 on order.

With this order, Singapore Airlines becomes the first airline in the world to operate multiple e-Enabled Boeing maintenance and performance products on the same fleet of airplanes.

"The Boeing Class 3 EFB is a key aspect of our vision for an e-Enabled aircraft," said Bey Soo Khiang, senior executive vice president (Operations and Services) for Singapore Airlines. "Boeing's EFB solution creates a link between the aircraft and our airline enterprise systems. With this link, coupled with the software applications on the ground and in the EFB, Singapore Airlines will be able to realize significant operational benefits."

Boeing's vision of an e-Enabled air transport system is one where data, information and knowledge can be shared instantly across an air-transport enterprise. As an early adopter of Boeing's Airplane Health Management and Integrated Materials Management systems, and because it is a major customer of Connexion by Boeing, SIA already is a leader in the e-Enabled airplane environment. The Electronic Flight Bag kit is designed to fit seamlessly with these other leading-edge technologies, giving the airline the ability to connect aircraft with its enterprise systems.

"An order like this from Singapore Airlines gives us two big reasons to celebrate," said Lou Mancini, vice president and general manager of Boeing Commercial Aviation Services. "First, this represents another market validation for our Class 3 Electronic Flight Bag, which has enjoyed terrific momentum in recent weeks. And second, given SIA's reputation for and commitment to quality, the decision reaffirms that commitment."

Boeing will begin fitting the Electronic Flight Bag Installation Kits on the 19 new 777-300ERs starting in November this year. Each EFB Installation Kit includes two pilot displays in the cockpit from Astronautics Corp. of America and two electronic processors. The kit also includes engineering for the installation of hardware, video surveillance equipment to monitor the cabin entry to the flight deck, a network file server to be located in the cabin and a terminal wireless LAN unit (TWLU). Boeing software will include the first delivery of the Boeing Electronic Logbook (ELB) and the taxi positional-awareness moving map from Boeing subsidiary Jeppesen.

Delivery of the retrofit kits for the existing airplanes will begin in February 2007; the final kit is scheduled for delivery in December of the same year.