Collins Aerospace, an RTX company, is teaming up with easyJet to activate its GlobalConnect aircraft services across more than 330 aircraft in the low-fare carrier’s fleet.
This collaboration will make easyJet the largest A320 operator in the world to deploy GlobalConnect. The new capability will help to enhance safety, pilot training and operational efficiencies.
This announcement is a follow-on from 2018, when easyJet selected Collins Flight Operations and Maintenance Exchange (FOMAX) to collect data onboard its aircraft, and is the latest effort by Collins to support easyJet’s fleetwide digitalisation efforts.
The technology is also a much-needed step-change for the operator to improve the practicalities of its operations. By eliminating the need to download data sets manually, GlobalConnect is a time saver for its flight crews and cutting costs for the wider business.
This solution will join the already installed Flight Operations and Maintenance Exchanger system (FOMAX) on board easyJet’s aircraft. The GlobalConnect solution will not take any time to install on the aircraft due to the line-fit installation of the FOMAX solution already on board. It can be retrofitted seamlessly.
GlobalConnect services across the fleet will be activated in the coming months, starting before the end of 2023.
“The FOMAX system, in conjunction with GlobalConnect, is designed to empower airlines with comprehensive data-driven insights, allowing them to enhance their operations and passenger experience,” said Jen Schopfer, President of Connected Aviation Solutions at Collins Aerospace.
GlobalConnect: a sustainable solution
The announcement also marks the latest in a range of sustainable initiatives deployed by easyJet, following the completion of the multi-million pound Airbus’ Descent Profile Optimisation across its fleet.
In 2021, the airline joined the UN-backed Race to Zero and has published its roadmap to net zero carbon emissions by 2050. The roadmap includes a combination of fleet renewal, operational efficiencies, airspace modernisation, sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), and carbon removal technology.
easyJet’s Director of Sustainability, Jane Ashton, said: “Collins’ GlobalConnect is one of the many initiatives we will use to drive operational efficiencies across our fleet and to help reduce our emissions.”
In a call to assembled media, she added that with decarbonisation an ongoing challenge for airlines, “anything large or small is an opportunity that’s worth taking.”
