Hainan Airlines First to Adopt Honeywell's Groundbreaking Forge Connected Maintenance for Auxiliary Power Units

SHANGHAI, May 18, 2017 – Honeywell (NYSE: HON) has signed an agreement for Hainan Airlines to become the first airline in the world to use Honeywell’s Forge Maintenance Service program, which uses connectivity and data analytics to improve maintenance operations and reduce equipment downtime.

Specifically, HNA’s current fleet of more than 50 Airbus A330s will be outfitted with Honeywell’s Connected Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) predictive maintenance service to improve fleet availability by identifying potential mechanical issues or failures before they happen. Honeywell will also outfit HNA’s future fleet of more than 40 A330s with the same service, totaling more than 90 A330s using this Honeywell Forge Maintenance Service.

The Honeywell Forge Connected Maintenance for Auxiliary Power Units service works by using an existing data connection on the plane to download APU maintenance and fault data to predict impending hardware failures. Those failures are routinely the highest cause of APUS interruptions. That fault data is then shared with Honeywell and analyzed before being presented back to Hainan Airlines’ maintenance team in an easy-to-understand, visual manner. The data identifies what maintenance actions are required to fix the APU and avoid an unscheduled maintenance event.

“The business and passenger impact of Honeywell’s Forge Connected Maintenance for Auxiliary Power Units service for Hainan Airlines is significant. Not only will the airline receive better and more predictive maintenance services that will reduce mechanical delays and cancellations, but it will also improve first-time fix rate, reduce false removals and improve passenger experience,” said Brian Davis, vice president, Airlines, Asia Pacific, Honeywell Aerospace. “This is a monumental agreement not only for Honeywell and Hainan Airlines, but for the aerospace industry as it undergoes a digital transformation that’s opening up new forms of data-sharing and changing the industry as we know it.”

“We are committed to providing our customers with our unique five-star in-flight experience, whether that’s the ‘eastern-style’ services available or an on-time departure to one of our global locations,” said Xie Haoming, chairman of Hainan Airlines. “Honeywell’s Forge Maintenance Service helps us maintain this commitment by reducing APU downtime, keeping our planes in the air more often to do what we need them to do, which is getting passengers to their destinations safely and on time.”

The Future of Connected Maintenance

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

As part of its suite of Connected Aircraft Services, Honeywell’s Forge Maintenance Services program will keep airline maintenance groups a step ahead of any potential issues, before they ground a plane, thereby reducing operational disruptions and costs.

In fact, existing trials of Honeywell’s predictive maintenance services resulted in a 35 percent reduction in inoperative equipment, and a significant reduction in operational disruptions with a false positive rate of less than 1 percent.

Whether analyzing data to catch a potential issue with an APU before it becomes a problem or informing a pilot that he or she needs to even out the use of the brakes after a hard landing, Honeywell’s Forge Maintenance Services will help airlines ensure on-time departures, manage unscheduled maintenance and provide a better experience for passengers.

“Only Honeywell has the ability to provide an exceptional, connected, end-to-end maintenance and repair service, coupled with rich field experience in aircraft operation and product utilization,” Davis said. “Our work with Hainan Airlines and the industry’s first Honeywell Forge Connected Maintenance for APUs service will set the standard for a new era.”

Supporting Resources

• Read more about Honeywell Forge Connected Maintenance for Auxiliary Power Units
• Read more about Honeywell Aerospace on the Follow The Aero blog
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About Honeywell

Honeywell Aerospace products and services are found on virtually every commercial, defense and space aircraft, and its turbochargers are used by nearly every automaker and truck manufacturer around the world. The Aerospace business unit develops innovative solutions for more fuel-efficient automobiles and airplanes, more direct and on-time flights, safer flying and runway traffic, along with aircraft engines, cockpit and cabin electronics, wireless connectivity services, logistics, and more. The business delivers safer, faster, and more efficient and comfortable transportation-related experiences worldwide. For more information, visit www.honeywell.com or follow us at @Honeywell Aero and @Honeywell_Turbo.