Panasonic Avionics is upbeat on the prospects for seatback in-flight entertainment systems, despite the increasing trend of passengers' using their own digital devices. During a media briefing at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg on 6 June, chief executive Ken Sain acknowledged previous concern about the future of seatback IFE as mobile phones, tablets and laptops became more capable and airlines saw opportunities to save costly hardware installations while being able to connect passengers' personal devices. He asserts, however, that passengers' own devices complement rather than replace installed IFE equipment as consumers have become used to handling multiple screens in parallel for communication, work and entertainment. The pandemic has changed consumer habits, he observes. Passengers now expect to stay online all the time, which has increased wi-fi demand on board aircraft. A new generation of organic LED (OLED) screens – dubbed Astrova – launched by Panasonic at last year's Aircraft Interiors Expo was a first step to overcome what Sain describes as a lag between aircraft cabins and consumer technology. At this year's iteration of the event, US-based supplier unveiled additional screens with the technology, including a 42in version for first class to be introduced in 2024. As part of a second step to update its entire IFE product and improve onboard wi-fi capability, Panasonic plans to launch, in the fourth quarter of 2024, connectivity via low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites in co-operation with service provider OneWeb. Bandwidth on existing connections to geostationary orbit (GEO) satellites will meanwhile be improved from the fourth quarter of this year. Sain says increased wi-fi performance and the possibility of connecting passenger's own devices to seatback IFE systems will open up opportunities for more personalised onboard travel experience. This could become "better than [in] your living room", Panasonic suggests. For airlines, Panasonic wants to make it easier to stay abreast with consumer technology by providing modular upgrades that enable carriers to change components during frequent, short ground events – for example overnight maintenance – rather than to replace entire IFE systems during full cabin refurbishment events that typically occur after seven or eight years. Additionally, Panasonic intends to provide airlines with self-service tools to manage IFE system interfaces and applications with passengers. All together, Sain predicts, the new technology will provide a step change in airlines' business case for IFE systems and enable a seamless passenger experience from pre-departure until post-arrival. Passengers may be using personal devices to book flights, order ancillary services and check in. But Sain argues that IFE systems provide airlines with much longer windows for passenger engagement than via website or mobile phone services. In addition to virtually all widebodies, 53% of single-aisles are equipped with IFE systems, Panasonic estimates.

Amsterdam Schiphol has agreed to buy a 40% stake in Maastricht Aachen airport (MAA) from the Dutch province of Limburg, leaving the territory with a 60% share in the facility. The cooperation agreement outlining the deal was officially signed on 8 June, and envisages the parties working to develop MAA into a “sustainable, environment-conscious and future-proof airport for both passengers and cargo.” It adds that the promotion of innovation and electric aircraft are “main priorities” for the agreement, but it will also slant heavily towards the deepening of cargo operations. MAA is the second and only regional cargo airport in the Netherlands and therefore plays a role in the economic health of the country, Schiphol says. With available cargo capacity at MAA, the deal will offer opportunities for further development and efficiency at both airports, it adds. “Even though Schiphol and MAA are not comparable in terms of size and number of flights, I do believe that this collaboration is a powerful combination. MAA can benefit from Schiphol's knowledge, experience and networks, while Schiphol can use the experience that MAA will gain with innovations such as electric flying,” states Schiphol chief financial officer Robert Carsouw. In recent months Schiphol has announced plans to limit flights and ban the noisiest aircraft from using the facility, although some of its programme for reduced operations have been thrown out in court. It has also come in for criticism over its handling of the recovery as it raises charges for airlines, with IATA director general Willie Walsh last week calling it “the worst airport in the world”.

The chief executives of Scandinavian carriers Norwegian and SAS have declared their intent to seek compensation for flight disruption caused by a shortage of air traffic controllers at Copenhagen airport. SAS says it transported 2.2 million passengers in May, a 19% increase on the year before, and has ramped up capacity to meet summer demand, but group chief Anko van der Werff complains that ATC capacity issues in the Danish capital over recent months have caused "considerable problems for airlines, airports and, not the least, our passengers". "We expect all parties to take their responsibilities and make sure our passengers can travel where they want and when they want this summer," he adds. "We will seek compensation for the irregularity costs caused by the situation." Norwegian likewise acknowledges that the ATC situation has led to "major delays and cancellations recently", and says it supports the stance of its Scandinavian rival, its own chief Geir Karlsen commenting: "We are also considering requesting compensation for the extensive disruptions we have experienced due to air traffic control shortages at Naviair at [Copenhagen] Kastrup airport." On 11 May, Copenhagen Airports stated that there had been "massive" delays because of issues at Naviair, which provides ATC services for civil aviation in Denmark. The operator highlighted that the busiest day in April for traffic had been 28 April, when 88,000 passengers used the airport, but noted that some 50,000 of them had been affected by delays, predominantly caused by a lack of air traffic controllers at Naviair. Of the 717 planned flights on that day, 23 were cancelled, it added. Of the 19,200 flights in April, 45% were delayed by more than 15min, affecting a million passengers. There were 400 cancellations, which affected 60,000. "We trust Naviair and the air traffic controllers to find – in the first instance – a temporary solution to cover the rest of the spring season and the upcoming busy summer season when we expect more than 7.5 million travellers to pass through the terminals," stated Peter Krogsgaard, Copenhagen Airports' chief commercial officer. Five days later, Naviair issued a statement in which it outlined a plan for summer to "deal with the challenges posed by the lack of air traffic controllers". Specifically, Naviair is launching two initiatives to strengthen the capacity of tower and approach control at Copenhagen Airport. These include the transfer of air traffic controllers from Roskilde airport, with a certificate for tower and approach control, to Copenhagen airport during the summer months. Secondly, more air traffic controllers will be transferred from support services to operational roles. "We have listened to our employees and have made a plan that is not based on the use of extra shifts due to the shortage situation," states Naviair's acting chief executive Mads Kvist Eriksen. "In this way, we hope that we can find common ground for the coming months."