Hainan Airlines orders Rockwell Collins head-up guidance systems

HAIFOU, China, 24 March 2015. Hainan Airlines officials in China needed a modern display to aid pilots of its new and in-service Next-Generation Boeing 737 aircraft and flight simulators. They found their solution at Rockwell Collins in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, opting to improve safety and performance by equipping an undisclosed number of aircraft and flight simulators with Rockwell Collins’ Head-up Guidance System (HGS).

“We’re honored by Hainan’s selection of HGS, which delivers enhanced safety and more efficient operations, especially during critical flight phases,” affirms Jim Walker, vice president and managing director, International and Service Solutions, Asia Pacific for Rockwell Collins. “With these HGS installations, Hainan will be the latest China-based airline to benefit from the exclusive lower landing and takeoff minima offered by the CAAC in China.”

HGS displays critical flight information in pilots’ forward field-of-view, eliminating the need for pilots to transition to the head-down instruments, officials explain. Pilots can keep their attention focused on the outside world with HGS, enhancing overall situational awareness and safety. HGS also provides airlines with cost savings from fewer diversions by enabling more takeoffs and landings in low-visibility conditions.

Deliveries will begin this spring.

Eight airports throughout China are currently approved for lower landing minima by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) for aircraft equipped with authorized head-up displays (HUDs) such as Rockwell Collins’ HGS, including Beijing, Shanghai Pudong, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Xi’an, Qingdao, Jinan, and Taizhou. The “China HUD Application Roadmap,” released in 2012, calls for all capable in-service airline fleets to be equipped with HUD by 2025.

Rockwell Collins, having delivered more than 6,800 Head-up Guidance Systems to date, leads the commercial head-up display market segment. Fifty-four airlines across 33 countries operate the company’s HGS, along with hundreds of corporate and military transport aircraft operators around the world.

Rockwell Collins develops and deploys communication and aviation electronic solutions for both commercial and government applications. Company personnel boast expertise in flight deck avionics, cabin electronics, mission communications, simulation and training, and information management.