Viasat and Lufthansa Group are building on their existing partnership, with Lufthansa Group signing to extend their European Aviation Network installs on their short-to-medium-haul fleet.
Some of the airlines having EAN installs – Image, Viasat/Lufthansa Group.
The installations will be across its Lufthansa, SWISS, and Austrian Airlines fleets – with the European Aviation Network (EAN) in-flight connectivity solution. They will be installed on Airbus A320s, A320neos and A220s fleet types.
This announcement continues a successful partnership between the companies. Inmarsat, which was recently acquired by Viasat, has provided its Ka-band Inflight Connectivity service to Lufthansa Group since 2015.
EAN connectivity has already been deployed onboard 240 Lufthansa Group narrow-body aircraft.
The European Aviation Network combines S-band satellite coverage provided by Viasat with a complementary ground component network operated by Deutsche Telekom, delivering a service that supports streaming and other high bandwidth requirements.
In terms of passenger experience, this is presented to them as the “FlyNet” portal, which is accessible on Lufthansa’s EAN-equipment aircraft. The portal allows passengers to log in to in-flight connectivity using their Travel ID or Miles and More logins, and to access information from menus for onboard food and beverage to duty-free offers and advertisements.
Lufthansa will offer free inflight messaging, as well as reduced access rates too in the near future.
In Quotes
Don Buchman, GM and VP of Commercial Aviation at Viasat, said:
“We’re so pleased to continue our long-standing partnership with Lufthansa Group, bringing the consistent, seamless in-flight connectivity solution that passengers want via the European Aviation Network. With so many passengers set to benefit, we’re excited to see the impact that EAN has on Lufthansa, SWISS, and Austrian Airlines’ fleets – especially in helping them remain at the forefront of offering a superior passenger experience, no matter which intra-European route or aircraft they fly.”
David Fox, Vice President of Inflight and Connectivity Services at Deutsche Telekom, said:
“EAN is a game-changer in inflight connectivity. The service adapts perfectly to Europe’s unique telco infrastructure and provides an exceptional connectivity experience for passengers while they fly above the European continent. EAN also offers a highly compelling business case for carriers due to its lightweight, small and low maintenance equipment.”
To the Airbus A220
Currently, none of the SWISS Airbus A220 family has any sort of inflight connectivity installed. This need will grow as Lufthasa’s City Airlines will become an A220 customer in time.
There are considerations to implementation too with EAN takeing advantage of small, low-weight, low-drag terminals, enabling Lufthansa Group to unlock cost-saving opportunities and enhance its sustainability credentials, whilst providing connectivity.
For passengers, EAN provides a reasonable connectivity option – especially for short-haul flights when connectivity may be less of a consideration than longer-haul flights.
We’ll have to keep an eye on the deployments, but for Lufthansa Group passengers, it could be an exciting time to see connectivity on new aircraft, as well as those that have been missed out so far.
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