Economy Class & Beyond

Icelandair takes delivery of its first Airbus A321LR

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Icelandair has done something new for the airline today - as it has become an Airbus operator, with the delivery of its first Airbus A321LR.  Icelandair Airbus A321LR (with a Beluga XL taking off in the background) - Image, Airbus The A321LR marks the first step in the airline’s fleet renewal, making it the newest Airbus operator. It is the first of four aircraft to be … [Read more...]

Qatar Airways to deploy Thales FlytEDGE IFE on their A321neo

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Some news from APEX Expo, where  Qatar Airways and Thales have signed an agreement to equip Qatar Airways’ new A321neo fleet with the world’s first cloud-native inflight entertainment platform - FlytEDGE. It marks the first customer of the FlytEDGE product, which was a recent winner at the Crytal Cabin Awards. FlytEDGE utilises cloud computing technologies with an … [Read more...]

Qatar Airways commences flying with Starlink connectivity

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Qatar Airways has deployed its first aircraft, fitted with the SpaceX Starlink connectivity platform. The move follows an agreement announced at Aircraft Interiors Expo 2024. The first aircraft to be fitted was a Boeing 777, with the airline planning to roll out Starlink connectivity to its entire Boeing 777 fleet within a year. This numbers 57 Boeing 777-300ER and … [Read more...]

United Airlines to rollout Starlink In-flight Connectivity

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It seems that Starlink - the Low Earth Orbit connectivity solution by SpaceX has picked up a new aviation customer, with United Airlines signing for installations across its fleet. The agreement will be one the largest that Starlink has signed - which will cover over 1,000 aircraft installations. United Airlines passengers will soon enjoy the same high-speed, … [Read more...]

Etihad to equip Airbus A320 aircraft with AirFi Wireless IFE

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AirFi continues to expand its customer base, this time adding Etihad Airways to the fold. The flag carrier of the UAE has equipped ten Airbus A320 aircraft that recently joined its fleet with AirFi’s wireless in-flight entertainment (IFE) platform. The ten A320 aircraft, operating from Etihad’s hub at Abu Dhabi International Airport, have gone live with complimentary … [Read more...]

LOT Polish Airlines commits to Viasat for connectivity

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LOT Polish Airlines has signed with Viasat to provide inflight connectivity for its Boeing 787 fleet. LOT Polish Airlines new business class - Image, LOT Polish Airlines/Viasat The agreement will cover the installation of Viasat's Ka-band connectivity across 15 aircraft in LOT’s wide-body Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 Dreamliner fleets. This will be the first time that LOT … [Read more...]

Examining MAYA by Collins Aerospace and Panasonic Avionics – the next step forward in seating?

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If there was one seat that brought the "wow" factor at Aircraft Interiors Expo this year, it was the Collins Aerospace and Panasonic Avionics MAYA concept. Now that the show is long over and I've had time to think - what does it bring to the table that will really set things apart from the completion? Let's start with the IFE side, where the technology side that … [Read more...]

The promise of LEO Inflight Connectivity – and its path to delivery

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Low Earth Orbit (or LEO) Connectivity has been a topic that's been growing in importance, as satellite providers prepare to offer it beyond the home - and in this case, in the air, as we've gone from ground to air testing, and as we head towards real-world deployments. How does it perform though? Orbits are everything. There are three main orbit levels to consider … [Read more...]

Bluebox secures a renewal of their partnership with Jazeera Airways

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Bluebox Aviation Systems Ltd. and Jazeera Airways recently renewed their six-year partnership for the delivery of the Blueview IFE experience called Jazeera Screens. Jazeera Screens provides in-flight entertainment options to passengers on their personal devices. This is done over a Bluebox Wow wireless network on board the airline’s Airbus A320 fleet.  The multi-year … [Read more...]