Panasonic Avionics opens new software design facility in Pune – Airlines/Aviation News

With in-flight engagement and connectivity expectations of fliers changing significantly, airlines are looking to upgrade their offerings. Software design and development is a key enabler to offer personalised service and an array of digital and connectivity solutions. This will become a key differentiator for airline companies, Panasonic Avionics Corporation CEO Ken Sain said.

He was speaking at the opening of the company’s a software design and development facility in Pune on Wednesday.

The global in-flight engagement and connectivity (IFEC) solutions company delivers engaging in-flight engagement, satellite Wi-Fi connectivity, satellite Wi-Fi, and digital services on 200-plus airlines. This will be its largest facility outside the US.

Panasonic Avionics started on the development centre in India with Infosys in 2021 on a build-own-transfer basis and has now moved it in-house at their centre in Pune. Panasonic starts with 200 engineers and will go up to 400 servicing needs of global airlines, including Air India programmes out of Pune.

Passengers on an average spend 600 minutes on short-haul flights and around 600 to 1,000 minutes on long-haul flights, and airlines are looking at increasing this engagement with customers with advanced in-flight engagement and communication systems, Sain said. 

“The engagements are expected to be more immersive and seamless. The airlines were looking at improving connection with passengers by 10x,” he said.

Panasonic is working on deploying its Astrova Systems in 50 programs and 2,00,000 airline seats. The Astrova system includes 4K OLED screens, high-fidelity spatial audio, an interface with personal devices, multi-screen options, fast-charging USB power and LED lights. The MAYA package for business class seats with larger screens, cinemascope experience and close theatre kind of experience. For MAYA, Panasonic has started working with the seatmakers to integrate the systems right at the start.

Manish Sharma, chairman of Panasonic Life Solutions India and South Asia, and director of Panasonic Avionics India, said India was providing IT support and IT services to the world and Panasonic has invested in setting up innovation and global capability centres to support their other subsidiaries.  

With Panasonic Avionics’ facility in Pune, they were looking to cater to multiple markets and airlines for in-flight engagement and communication for narrowbody and widebody aircraft.