ARINC Aims to Pull Industry Together with Wireless Gatelink Conference

September 26, 2006

Annapolis, Maryland—ARINC Incorporated today announced it will sponsor the first global industry conference on Gatelink, Tuesday, October 24, 2006. This one-day event will focus on the latest applications and market developments for the aviation Gatelink service—the wireless transmission of data to and from airplanes at the gates of an airport.

“Gatelink is a technology that has always been ‘next year’,” stated Ron Hawkins, ARINC Vice President, Commercial Aviation Solutions. “But with the advent of new communications on new aircraft, and the growth of Electronic Flight Bags, Gatelink has become a crucial communications alternative for many airlines. We see enough interest in Gatelink today to support a meeting of airlines to discuss its many uses.”

The focus of the event will be to inform the airline community on the current status of Gatelink technology. Workshops will be provided on the three current airline applications with the most direct need for Gatelink: Electronic Flight bags, In-Flight Entertainment, and Flight Operational Quality Assurance programs. An overall goal is to increase the industry’s awareness of Gatelink feasibility.

“Many airlines are looking to Gatelink to support the large file sizes common with new and emerging applications,” continued Hawkins. “ARINC’s established role as the leading provider of aircraft communications makes us a natural fit to support the advent of this promising technology.”

Earlier in 2006, ARINC collaborated with Lufthansa, network and avionics vendors, and two major European airports to gather test data needed to fully evaluate a global Gatelink standard. These trials resulted in a Gatelink white paper which will be made available to conference attendees.

“There’s no question wireless connectivity between the aircraft and an airline’s various applications can drive down the total cost of operations for the carrier,” added Mike Dufton, ARINC Director of Sales. “We want to bring the industry together on a single page to achieve the maximum benefits from this technology.”

As part of the October conference, ARINC will be announcing a new service offering for airlines that implement Gatelink.

Airline IT and flight operations managers, as well as airport IT managers, are encouraged to attend the ARINC Gatelink Summit at Walt Disney World Coronado Springs Resort in Orlando, FL, October 24, preceding the ARINC ASAP Users Group Meeting. For more information, contact Mike Dufton at (410) 266-4607, or e-mail mgd@arinc.com.

ARINC Incorporated is the world leader in transportation communications and systems engineering. The company develops and operates communications and information processing systems and provides systems engineering and integration solutions to five key industries: airports, aviation, defense, government, and surface transportation. Founded to provide reliable and efficient radio communications for the airlines, ARINC is headquartered in Annapolis, Maryland, and operates key regional offices in London and Singapore, with over 3,200 employees worldwide. ARINC is ISO 9001:2000 certified.

Release: 06-120

Corporate Communications
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