PARIS, June 19, 2017 – Honeywell (NYSE: HON) and Cathay Pacific have signed a contract to deploy Honeywell’s Connected Aircraft maintenance offering across their fleet of Airbus A330 aircraft. Honeywell’s GoDirect Connected Maintenance program combines the airplane’s connectivity, in-depth product knowledge and data analytics to predict when mechanical parts need to be fixed or replaced. The service demonstrated during a trial program with Cathay Pacific that it can reduce inoperative systems by up to 35 percent, which directly reduces costly and disruptive maintenance and aircraft downtime, lowering flight cancellations and the impact of delays. 

“Cathay Pacific is committed to providing our passengers with a safe, on-time and comfortable travel experience,” said Neil Glenn, director engineering, Cathay Pacific. “Honeywell’s GoDirect Connected Maintenance helps support our commitment to passengers by reducing operational disruptions and limiting flight delays, without adding any sensors or a single ounce of weight to the aircraft.” 

Honeywell’s GoDirect Connected Maintenance program for the company’s auxiliary power units (APUs) will be outfitted on more than 60 of Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon’s Airbus A330s. APUs are mini engines that provide power into the airplane, mostly while at the gate, to cool or heat the cabin, start the main engines, and perform other power-related functions.

“Cathay Pacific is a leader in this shift to predictive flying. The aviation industry is going through a digital transformation sparked by the use of big data analytics and the Internet of Things. Honeywell is combining its mechanical heritage with access to better connectivity to help airlines achieve more predictive maintenance operations,” said Brian Davis, vice president, Airlines, Asia Pacific, Honeywell Aerospace. “During the trial, Honeywell’s GoDirect Connected Maintenance saved Cathay Pacific several hundred thousand dollars in operational and reactive maintenance costs per aircraft, and reduced APU-related delay minutes by 51 percent.”

            Cathay Pacific is also considering to extend the GoDirect Connected Maintenance program to the airline’s fleet of Boeing B777s to improve on-time departures and reduce maintenance costs. 

A New Era of Connected Maintenance 

Honeywell’s Connected Aircraft services demonstrate to airlines that being connected improves not only the passenger experience, but also allows an aircraft to become a more comprehensive and agile platform that makes flying safer, more efficient and cost-effective. 

Managing unscheduled maintenance events can be both costly and time-consuming for an airline, causing delays that put on-time performance at risk. That’s why Honeywell, with more than 80 product lines and nose-to-tail technologies, is using its expertise to change the concept of airplane maintenance. 

The predictive fault analyses from the GoDirect Connected Maintenance program have a false positive rate of less than 1 percent. These analyses highlight the most critical faults to repair, giving actionable recommendations to maintenance crew while sharing any relevant information on failure trends with airline operators. This information enables flight and maintenance crew members to prepare for maintenance ahead of time and facilitate parts replacement before a failure occurs. 

In addition to connected maintenance for APUs, Honeywell is looking to expand the service to other parts of the aircraft, including wheels, brakes and environmental control systems