Emirates has made a connectivity decision for their upcoming Airbus A350 fleet, with the airline selecting Inmarsat for connectivity.
The agreement marks an expansion of the long-standing partnership between Emirates and Inmarsat.
It will enable the airline to provide advanced, high-speed inflight broadband using Inmarsat’s GX Aviation solution onboard 50 Airbus A350s (the type due to enter service with the airline in 2024). With GX Aviation, there should be the bandwidth through the connectivity to deliver social media and entertainment to the seat and passenger hand.
The Airbus A350s will be the first Emirates aircraft to take advantage of Inmarsat’s Global Xpress (GX) satellite network, which powers a globally available high-speed broadband network, ensuring passengers can enjoy uninterrupted global connectivity, no matter their destination.
The GX network currently consists of five Ka-band satellites and be enhanced with the addition of seven more satellite payloads, including two Inmarsat-6s, the most sophisticated commercial communications satellites ever built, both of which are scheduled to enter service this year.
These will be followed by three additional satellites in geostationary orbit – adding speed, capacity, and resilience – and two in a highly elliptical orbit, which launch later this year and enter service next year to provide Artic connectivity.
Meanwhile, for the seat-back entertainment, Emirates recently signed with Thales for its AVANT IFE system along with the Optqiq 4K head-ends.
In Quotes
William Huot-Marchand, Inmarsat Aviation’s Senior Vice President of Inflight Connectivity, said
“We are delighted that Emirates has joined the GX Aviation family. This will be the first fleet with Emirates to be equipped with our highly advanced GX Aviation solution.
“GX Aviation is well positioned to meet growing passenger expectations around a digital onboard experience, offering high-speed connectivity with uninterrupted global coverage across all flight routes, even over the Arctic. We look forward to working closely with Emirates on the rollout and other exciting innovations that build on its excellent track record of providing a best-in-class passenger experience.”
Adel al Redha, Emirates’ Chief Operating Officer, said
“Delivering a world-class onboard experience has always been paramount to Emirates and we understand the importance of being connected during flights. Over the years, we have worked closely with Inmarsat and our supplier partners to ensure all our aircraft offer Wi-Fi connectivity. We look forward to finding ways and options to improve the connectivity on-board our aircraft by utilising GX Aviation for our Airbus A350 fleet. The advanced capabilities being introduced by the forthcoming satellites are particularly important, as this will boost capacity across our global network, including aircraft flying over the Arctic for routes between the Middle East and America.”
Expanding the GX Aviation footprint
GX Aviation is continuing its expansion with high-speed connectivity – something that is welcome for both airlines and its end users, allowing data to be streamed from ground to air, along with features that offer for inflight use by the crew as well as passengers.
And connectivity like this opens options for airlines – something to be welcome for.
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