Honeywell believes that improved data connectivity for business aircraft will have a major impact in both the cockpit and passenger cabin.“Technology allows you to contemplate how to do things more efficiently for both pilots and passengers,” says Andy Gill, Honeywell senior director Asia-Pacific business and general aviation. “It’s really bringing us to an area that allows us to think about what are the things we can do, what are the benefits from getting data on and off an aircraft at the speeds now possible.”

Flightglobal spoke with Gill at last week’s ABACE industry gathering in Shanghai.

Gill says that within a few years, improved connectivity should allow passengers aboard business jets to stream extensive data, such as that required for high-definition video conferencing.

The cockpits of business jets will also benefit, for example being able to update databases and flight plans during flight. Gill adds that business jets could one day also share radar data, allowing one aircraft to benefit from a radar set aboard another aircraft – similar to how military aircraft share sensor data.“Dispatch reliability can be improved through having more data,” he says. “If you know more data is coming off the aircraft about its health, you can do some predictive analysis as to what issues might arise in the aircraft. But if you transmit a full picture about what’s happening on that aircraft, you can get a better sense of the health of the aircraft and position spares and that type of thing.”

Improved connectivity will also make it easier for the mission software aboard aircraft to be loaded when an aircraft is on the ground.

Gill is also optimistic about China’s opening of airspace. He says the Chinese government is “working very hard” on opening up low level air space, which could give general aviation in the country a significant boost from 2018 onwards.