News

November 2nd, 2011

A project team from Austrian Airlines recently made several visits to Heath Tecna in September and October, to commence with a preliminary design review of a complex reconfiguration program for the airline’s international fleet of B767s and B777s. In June of this year, it was announced that Austrian Airlines awarded Heath Tecna with a large program to provide integration services and cabin interior products to modify 10 aircraft.

Heath Tecna’s Engineering, Program Management, and Certification teams worked very hard to ensure all of the necessary research and preliminary drawings were presented to the Austrian team during the PDR, and we appreciate everyone’s time and dedication at HT in meeting this important milestone. We enjoyed the visit from our Vienna customers and look forward to seeing the program continue through the critical design review in early 2012, as well as meeting our production schedule to deliver reconfiguration kits in the 2nd and 3rd quarters of 2012.

Heath Tecna is a global leader in the design, manufacture, and certification of highly engineered aircraft interior products. It is a provider of premium services for the aerospace industry and is a part of the Zodiac Aerospace group.

Zodiac Aerospace is a world-wide equipment and systems supplier for commercial, regional, and business aircraft, as well as helicopters and space applications. The group, thanks to more than 20,000 employees, operates on four continents and is a world leader in core businesses linked to aero safety, aircraft systems, and cabin interiors.

September 30th, 2011

Achieving a key milestone in the development of the nose-to-tail interiors for the MRJ – a next generation regional jet being produced in Japan by Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation – Heath Tecna began shipping in early September the first interior articles, designated for MRJ testing purposes, that it is responsible for mass producing as a Tier 1 partner supplier. Employees at the Bellingham plant were excited to see physical parts of the flight deck for the first time, which included an order of composite glare shields that were manufactured on the production line, as well as liners that were produced using SLA (Stereo Lithography) rapid prototyping methods. These components will be utilized in upcoming dynamic tests in Europe and fit checks in Nagoya, Japan.

In addition to the initial shipment of Heath Tecna components, work is culminating with the company’s Tier 2 partner suppliers to ship interior articles they’ve produced for MRJ testing purposes too. Plans are in place to ship pilot seats, emergency escape slides, the ballistic flight deck bulkhead, a door assembly, PSUs and oxygen systems, aircraft insulation, and more to a testing or fit check facility in one of the aforementioned regions as necessary.

Heath Tecna is a global leader in the design, manufacture, and certification of highly engineered aircraft interior products. It is a provider of premium services for the aerospace industry and is a part of the Zodiac Aerospace group.

Zodiac Aerospace is a world-wide equipment and systems supplier for commercial, regional, and business aircraft, as well as helicopters and space applications. The group, thanks to more than 20,000 employees, operates on four continents and is a world leader in core businesses linked to aero safety, aircraft systems, and cabin interiors.

September 5th, 2011

Announced in June and finalized on September 1st, Zodiac Aerospace completed its acquisition of Heath Tecna from RBS Equity Finance. With the procurement of the aircraft interiors manufacturer, Heath Tecna’s offerings complement, as well as broaden Zodiac Aerospace’s portfolio of products and services to better serve the Group’s customers, especially regarding the retrofit market for commercial passenger aircraft. To learn more, read the official Zodiac Aerospace press release.

June 21st, 2011

Paris, France - At the Paris Air Show today, Heath Tecna CEO Richard L. Ballantyne revealed the company's supply relationship with Korean Air, announcing an ongoing multi-year partnership with the airline to manufacture A380 upper deck bars, sofas, and other equipment for the carrier's Prestige class. The sleek furnishings are installed in the airline's second A380 being displayed at the show. While the program was awarded several years ago, due to the competitive nature of airline product development, program partnership details could not be revealed until now. For more on the story, read the official press release.

The cabin furnishings can be seen onboard Korean Air's A380 in a YouTube video posted by Flightglobal's Run Way Girl, Mary Kirby, where she does a walk through of the jumbo jet. Mary explores the lounges at the 1:49 and 2:20 minute marks in the video. 

June 21st, 2011

Paris, France – At the Paris Air Show today, Heath Tecna CEO Richard L. Ballantyne announced that Austrian Airlines has selected HT to upgrade and reconfigure six Boeing 767-300 and four Boeing 777-200 cabin interiors as part of the airline’s plans to meet the changing requirements of international customers. For more of the story, read the official press release and visit Gov. Chris Gregoire's online travel journal.

June 14th, 2011

Heath Tecna recently had the honor of hosting a visit from Nubuo Toda, Chairman of Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation, who was accompanied by Yae Hoshiya (Interior Payloads Purchasing Manager) and Carl Chidiac (MAC US Procurement Support). Mr. Toda was visiting important Mitsubishi Regional Jet partners, prior to his retirement, to show his appreciation for their participation in the program, as well as to further relationships between MAC and key suppliers.

Our guests were given a tour of the manufacturing plant, where it was evident that Heath Tecna's dedication to the MRJ program and commitment to Kaizen were increasingly strong and unwavering. We enjoyed the visit by Mr. Toda, appreciated his gratitude, and wish him well in his retirement.