Mike Madsen, Honeywell Aerospace’s CEO, said the company believes strongly in a return to business aviation growth over the next 12 to 18 months, despite the number of people who might think online platforms like Zoom will draw away significant amounts of business. “I think online platforms will have a small effect, maybe five or 10 percent of our business travel, but not a lot though.” Madsen’s remarks came at Honeywell’s press conference at NBAA’s VBACE on December 2.
Madsen said Honeywell will “continue to invest in the HTF engine family with mods and upgrades as well as new engine series for large ultra-long-range aircraft. We also continue to see interest in connectivity beyond the cabin, such as SATCOM for the cockpit as a replacement for HF radio.”
The company also plans to offer a connected maintenance option that will automatically download engine data and diagnostics. Madsen said, “Maintenance service plans will continue to evolve on parts like the HTF family engine nacelles with coverage for the Bombardier Challenger 250 and 300, the Gulfstream G280 and the Embraer Legacy 450/500 aircraft. The scope of maintenance services will also continue to grow.” The company is also developing “a micropower unit for smaller business aircraft that don’t operate with an APU.” The new micropower unit—which might be available next year—will allow crews to power up the cabin and the environmental systems without the need to start an engine.
Advanced avionics systems are also on the horizon that will “feature more open software architecture, flexibility and connectivity like being able to upload a flight plan from your phone.” Madsen said Honeywell is looking at systems like Garmin’s Autoland, “not only for safety, but to help reduce pilot workload.”
During the Q&A session, Madsen was asked about supersonic aircraft. “I think they’re coming, and business aviation is where we’re going to see them. It’s always a function of [people’s] willingness to pay and there’s nowhere that curve is better satisfied than the business aviation. But the aircraft need to cruise at Mach 2 plus.” Honeywell is already partnering with the Aerion team on their supersonic aircraft.
Madsen said fallout from the pandemic has been both positive and negative. “On the positive side, I think it has reinforced the incredible resilience of human beings, especially in the aviation industry. Technology and innovation continue to thrive and have accelerated because nothing sharpens our focus on what needs to be done like a crisis.”
On the downside, “We went through this period of very rapid growth from 2016 until early this year and I think a number of people were hoping for a few more years of that. I know that 2022 and 23 are going to be very strong growth periods,” despite the airline’s rescheduling of so many flights. He believes that once the vaccines have taken hold, “there will be a certain number of residual people who will continue to want to use business aviation. People will continue to fly. You can’t attend a wedding or a graduation or sit on the beach with Zoom.”
