The cockpit and cabin applications market is a dynamic ecosystem of digital applications designed to increase the operational efficiency of flights, as well as improving the passenger experience. Airlines are becoming increasingly open to digitalisation and are now seeing the huge benefits of digitalising the aircraft.
It would be impossible to cover the market in all its complexity, but Valour Consultancy’s new report, “The Market for Connected Digital Applications – 2022”, aims to provide an in-depth analysis of seven key applications and their usage in-flight. This includes:
- Document management platforms
- Electronic flight folders (EFF)
- Crew tablets/cabin reporting
- Weather, charting and navigation
- Performance optimisation
- Point of sale solutions
- Telemedicine
Valour Consultancy’s aim in writing this report is to provide companies interested in the cockpit and cabin applications market with an in-depth and timely review of its present status and likely future development in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. The report addresses a wide range of questions such as: How is connectivity impacting the cockpit and cabin applications market? What does the in-flight digital applications value chain look like? And how will the pandemic impact airline investment into the connected digital applications market over the coming years?
Key questions are addressed alongside a comprehensive discussion of the drivers and inhibitors which will shape the market over the coming years. One of the key developments we expect to see across the market is more and more integration between applications. Airlines want to see EFBs (and cabin crew devices to a lesser extent) become increasingly holistic platforms which operate in an integrated system rather than as lots of standalone apps which operate in isolation; however, they also want to retain the ability to select solutions from different vendors to suit their users’ needs. Marrying these two desires is one of the major challenges facing the industry, and efforts to do so are already well underway. This trend will be one of the primary drivers of growth over the coming years.
Despite the impact of COVID-19 on airline expenditure, many cockpit and cabin application vendors have performed resiliently in the face of extremely challenging market conditions. Indeed, some have even emerged stronger from the past couple of years. This is because applications such as performance optimisation solutions and electronic tech logs (ETLs) offer considerable cost savings to airlines by either saving on fuel or improving turnaround times.
Still, significant challenges remain. The market remains fragmented and the dual effects of integration difficulties and dependency on connectivity, which some applications require to have full functionality, means growth is hindered to a degree. The Market for Connected Digital Applications provides essential insight into a complex and rapidly developing market.
