Airbus is to upgrade the cockpit displays of more than 100 A320-family jets operated by US carrier American Airlines. The airline has agreed to fit liquid-crystal displays and new display computers to the twinjets. Airbus will upgrade the aircraft with the enhanced EEIS2 instrument system, it states, replacing cathode-ray tube technology with lighter-weight avionics. Six displays feature in the cockpit – a primary flight display and navigation display for each pilot, plus centrally-mounted engine and system displays. The retrofit programme will also replace the three display-management computers which are located in the avionics bay. These computers acquire and process signals received from sensors and other aircraft computers in order to generate the images viewed on the six cockpit displays. Each of the three computers is able to drive one primary display, one navigation display, and either of the two central displays. French aerospace electronics specialist Thales manufactures the EEIS2 equipment, which will be integrated by Airbus on the American aircraft. Airbus says the retrofit of the high-resolution system will help “improve information displays for pilots”, and provide new system features and capabilities. “[The programme] will also maximise fleet commonality, significantly reduce maintenance costs and deliver a 50kg weight saving per aircraft,” it adds.<br/>
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An American Airlines employee died Thursday at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. Austin-Travis County EMS responded to an incident this afternoon for a person with traumatic injuries on the tarmac. EMS pronounced the individual dead on the scene, according to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport officials. The airport, in a Twitter message, said the incident happened just outside the terminal where aircraft park at gates. A cause of death has not been announced.<br/>
Alaska Air Group on Thursday reported a bigger-than-expected quarterly loss as higher expenses related to labor and fuel dented the carrier's margins. As more people plan their travel after the pandemic kept them at home for a long period, airlines are struggling to capitalize on rising demand with limited capacity coupled with elevated cost pressures. Earlier this month, American Airlines Group forecast Q1 profit below market expectations, joining rival United Airlines Holdings in signaling a hit from increasing costs. In January, Alaska Air warned that it would face pressures from higher labor costs and expenses related to pilot training as it phases out Airbus jets in favor of Boeing planes. On an adjusted basis, the company posted a loss of 62 cents per share in Q1 ended March 31, compared with analysts' average estimate of 48 cents per share, according to Refinitiv data.<br/>