UTC Aerospace Systems, a unit of United Technologies Corp. has been selected to supply its LED cabin lighting retrofit system to Avianca.
The Latin American airline will upgrade its entire Airbus A318 fleet with UTC Aerospace Systems’ LED cabin lighting retrofit system, in line with its strategy to modernise and improve its flight experience.
Installations to replace the current fluorescent lighting of Avianca’s Airbus A318 aircraft commenced in December 2017 and will be completed within a year.
UTC Aerospace Systems’ ‘plug and play’ cabin lighting enhancement solution can be retrofitted without changing the existing cabin management system or aircraft wiring.
Available with EASA- and FAA-approved Supplemental Type Certificates (STC) for commercial single-aisle and widebody aircraft platforms, the company said the system retrofit also offers weight and power savings of up to 35% per shipset over traditional fluorescent lighting, depending on the existing lighting configuration of the aircraft.
Mike Wagner, senior director of aftermarket for interiors at UTC Aerospace Systems, called the LED cabin lighting system an “optimal solution for customers like Avianca.” He explained: “Not only does the LED lighting system refresh cabin ambience to dramatically enhance passenger experience, but it also offers airlines increased reliability, power and weight savings, as well as reduced maintenance costs compared to traditional fluorescent lighting, making the retrofit an economically viable proposition.”
The LED cabin lighting system also allows operators to define mood lighting presets to enhance passengers’ wellbeing by creating, for example, a relaxing atmosphere for night flights, or a daylight scene when approaching the destination.
Airlines can also select from an array of colours and create customised lighting schemes to reinforce their branding. For example, Avianca chose a number of unique colour scheme presets defined by the airline’s corporate identity.
María Paula Duque, senior vice-president of strategic relations and customer experience for Avianca, said that with the new lighting system in the Airbus A318 fleet, “Avianca transformed the environment of its cabins with scenes of stimulating colours, which provide greater rest and comfort to its passengers during the different stages of flight.”
Duque added: “This cabin environment seeks to provide a positive result in the state of mind for our passengers to enjoy a better experience on board.”
