China Eastern to retrofit all its Boeing 737NGs with Thales transponders
Romain Guillot
 le 24/09/2020 , Maintenance aéronautique
Only four months after SF Airlines, China Eastern Airlines chose Thales and ACSS (Aviation Communication & Surveillance Systems), its joint venture with L3Harris Technologies, to equip its entire Boeing 737NGs fleet (203 aircraft) with NXT-800 DO-260B transponders.
These transponders are obviously ADS-B Out compatible to comply with the requirements of the Chinese Civil Aviation Administration (CAAC) by the end of 2022.
As part of the agreement, the current transponders on board will be replaced with Thales/ACSS NXT-800 transponders utilizing the Boeing Service Bulletin available for certified inter-mix retrofit. The airline will benefit from extensive cost savings through this inter-mix retrofit.
The Shanghai-based airlines has already fitted nearly 150 of its A320s with Thales avionics. In 2015, China Eastern Airlines also became the first Chinese airline to comply with the DO-260B standard by installing Thales's T³CAS / ACSS solution on several of its A320s.
In 2018, China Eastern and Thales signed a Strategic Maintenance Cooperation Agreement, marking the establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership.
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