Honeywell provides LED lighting for Airbus wingtips
Honeywell has signed an $80million contract to upgrade the navigation wingtip lighting on the A320 to LEDs on the Airbus A320 family of aircraft.
LED lighting is well known to last longer than halogen bulbs as well as consuming less electricity. It is hoped the move will significantly lower the maintenance costs for airline operators. The lighting technology upgrade will be incorporated into the Airbus production line for all future A320 aircraft. The 30-year contract covers approximately 5,000 future aircraft. The technology upgrade covers the forward navigation lights located inside the wingtip that provide recognition lighting in the air, as well as situational awareness lighting on the ground.
Honeywell's solid-state lighting has a much longer life, up to 20,000hours before replacement, compared to existing halogen lights that have on average 500hours. This improved reliability results in substantial savings for operators in fewer lamp changes, lower spares inventory and lower labour costs.
Honeywell says it has, 'pioneered technology advances in the field of LEDs, many of which are now being applied in consumer electronics applications such as large screen TVs, computers, and other display systems around the world.'
Honeywell expect the LED lights to save operators $30,000 per aircraft over its operational life. The upgraded lighting technology will be available for retrofit for existing airline operators. The drop-in replacement for the existing lighting does not require any aircraft modification.
