Marshall Aerospace is pleased to announce that the first TAP Portugal A340-312 to be embodied with a full cabin interior and In-Flight Entertainment (IFE) upgrade modification has returned to commercial service after a successful installation during scheduled maintenance at the airline’s facility in Lisbon.
The Marshall Aerospace modification was approved by European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Supplemental Type Certificate (STC), as the first stage of a bi-lateral certification programme to obtain both EASA and FAA approval for the retrofit. The 30-calendar-day installation and ground test phase was the culmination of a 14-month programme from conception to certification of the modification which will now be embodied onto the remaining three aircraft in the TAP Portugal A340 fleet.
Under the contract Marshall Aerospace is the Aircraft Integrator and is responsible for the integration and certification of a new industry-leading seat back AVOD (Audio Video On Demand) IFE system (Panasonic eX2). Its expertise in project management, engineering system integration and certification was a significant and contributory factor in enabling an on-time return to service for the aircraft.
The STC may now also be of interest to other operators wishing to upgrade the cabin interiors of their A340s.
TAP Maintenance and Engineering’s strong adherence to the deadlines and to the strict technical planning supporting the execution of the work within the ground time accommodated for the heavy check hangar visit, and the performance delivered by the TAP technical teams, were key to the success of this very short timescale programme.
The cabin upgrade was an opportunity to improve dramatically the overall passenger experience aboard older aircraft through more comfortable seats and new features such as touch screens with a new Graphic User Interface to access interactive video and audio content.
José de Almeida, A330 fleet manager for TAP maintenance and engineering, commented: “I would like to recognise the outstanding professionalism and levels of cooperation shown by the Marshall Aerospace team that led to the successful completion of this upgrade programme. One happy Client.”
Jose Viegas, Fleet Management Director for the Airline, added: “Marshall Aerospace’s support, expertise and outstanding performance was a key factor for the success of TAP A340 IFE retrofit program.
Steve Fitz-Gerald, CEO Marshall Aerospace, said: “I am delighted to hear how well this complex upgrade programme has progressed and been received by our customer – as TAP’s selection of Marshall Aerospace was based on our technical capability and commitment to return the aircraft to service on time.”