Boeing 737 certification for KID-Systeme‘s GSM on Board Technology

KID-Systeme, the leader in aircraft cabin electronics, today announced at the Aircraft Interiors Expo that its GSM on Board inflight passenger communications system, used by OnAir, has received European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) supplement type certification for Boeing 737 aircraft. The Boeing 737, is operated by more than 500 airlines including Ryanair, the first airline to commit to a full fleet deployment of Mobile OnAir. EASA supplement type certification for the B737, in service for Ryanair, follows certification for the OnAir mobile telephony system on the whole Airbus A320 family of single-aisle aircraft.
Ryanair currently has over twenty aircraft flying with the KID-Systeme‘s GSM on Board equipment and OnAir’s inflight passenger GSM voice and data services. Ryanair is in the process of retrofitting the equipment to the rest of its B737 fleet.
The Boeing retrofit installation design and Supplemental Type Certification (STC) process was managed by KID-Systeme with its partner ECS. A key feature of the STC retrofit design is the use of an innovative distributed Line Replacement Unit installation concept, allowing the GSM on Board equipment to be installed during an aircraft’s regular maintenance check. The design of this system enables activation during an over-night stop, meaning the aircraft does not have to be taken out of passenger service.
The GSM on Board equipment has been designed to minimise weight and space usage, particularly in areas designated for passenger use. The GSM server is located in the electronics bay under the cockpit; the leaky-line cable runs along the inside ceiling of the cabin; and the satellite communications equipment, picocell and onboard control equipment are located above the ceiling panels in the aft fuselage.
Patrick Schrot, Managing Director of KID-Systeme, said, “This EASA certification demonstrates the excellence of the programme run by KID-Systeme and ECS. It has also paved the way for Ryanair’s inflight passenger connectivity services and we have no doubt it will prove to be the tipping-point for the technology’s wide-spread adoption.”
KID Systeme’s GSM on Board airborne equipment has already been in commercial use on Air France, bmi, Royal Jordanian, TAP Portugal and Wataniya Airways, with further airlines signed up to start the service in 2009 and 2010. It is unique in that it uses Inmarsat’s SwiftBroadband technology, providing passengers with the widest range of inflight communications services currently available.

Source: Transportweekly