Honeywell eyes sales to Thai airlines
HONEYWELL Aerospace, a manufacturer of aircraft engines and avionics, is negotiating with Thai airlines to provide what the US-based company calls connected aircraft services after it signed three such contracts with the Singapore Airlines Group.
The Singapore deals will provide the latest Honeywell technologies and services to help improve operational capabilities for Singapore Airlines, SilkAir and Scoot, Honeywell’s vice president for airlines in the Asia-Pacific region, Brian Davis, said in a group interview at Air Show 2018 in Singapore yesterday.
“Thailand’s aviation business is experiencing faster growth and needs to further modernise technology to serve that business growth, with Thailand being a hub to link with the Indochina countries, comprising Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos, as well as Myanmar,” Davis said.
Thailand is a key market for the company’s business in Indochina and needs more technology to develop its aviation facilities to serve the strong demand in the market, he said.
The company also is negotiating with other airline operators elsewhere in Asia, including in the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and China.
Davis said that its connected aircraft business will provide the software to improve flight management, flight safety, passenger experience, maintenance, flight operations, aircraft turnaround times and reduce costs.
He said the connected aircraft will anticipate opportunities and offer unique insights by harnessing the power of analytics with the confidence of the secure communication link.
The company says the connected aircraft service reduces fuel costs and emissions by up to 5 per cent and operational disruptions by up to 35 per cent, while cutting maintenance and operations costs.
Davis said connected aircraft will provide “the best experience” for airline passengers.
“For example, it provides 10x100x faster Wi-Fi speeds and smoother and safer flights,” he said. “Flight operators also will save up to 5 per cent in flight time with ATC priority, and improve arrival times and dispatch speed. The ground operation also cuts troubleshooting time by up to 25 per cent.”
According to the company’s research, the market value of the connected aircraft business worldwide will reach as much as US$6 billion in 2020. This provides for an opportunity for the company to expand its business globally and in the Asia-Pacific region, Davis said.
The company’s president for Asia-Pacific, Steve Lien, said Honeywell is eyeing business expansion in the Asia-Pacific, especially in Southeast Asia and China, where it sees strong growth in the aviation business.
“From 2017 till 2036, the Asia region will have demand for 16,050 aircraft worth US$2.5 trillion,” said in a group interview yesterday at the air show.
“This will drive aviation business in the region to sustain strong growth. This challenge for our business expansion in this region, especially with the connected aircraft services, is to help airlines better manage their traffic and services for their customers.”
At the end of 2016, Honeywell Group announced a total sale values of US$39.4 billion, with US$14.8 billion from is aerospace business, US$10.7 billion from home and building technologies, US$9.3 billion from performance materials and technologies, and the remaining US$4.6 billion from safety and productivity solutions.
