Qatar Airways has selected Inmarsat as the inflight connectivity (IFC) provider for the airline’s Boeing 787-9 and 737-10 fleets.
Qatar Airways’ high-speed global inflight broadband service, GX Aviation, has successfully been rolled out on other aircraft within the Qatar Airways fleet, and with this new agreement, it has been activated on the first seven Boeing 787-9s. Hence, this move marks an expansion of its partnership with the Doha-based national carrier.
Powered by GX Aviation, with an option to buy full access for the remainder of each flight.
The broadband will be available across the airline’s aircraft and flight routes, enabling passengers to stay connected to family and friends, surf the internet, stream video and audio, and enjoy other internet-facilitated services.
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The agreement comes on the heels of Qatar’s preparations to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup in November, with a high influx of tourists ready to fly into Doha’s Hamad International Airport.
With a fully connected fleet, Qatar Airways passengers can stay up to date on match scores, watch video replays, and even live stream games from 30,000 feet, which will improve their experience on board.
Inmarsat has assured its commitment to meeting the bandwidth requirements generated by this upcoming event, having installed and activated GX Aviation on the first Qatar Airways 787-9 aircraft in less than five months after the contract award.
His Excellency Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, Akbar Al Baker, said: “Over the years, Qatar Airways has pioneered a range of game-changing innovations as part of our exceptional five-star passenger experience. Because of this, Skytrax, an international organization that rates airlines, has named us “Airline of the Year” a record six times. One great example is the launch of our Super Wi-Fi, which Inmarsat’s GX Aviation powers. We were the first airlines in the world to adopt this technology and remain the largest operator of GX-equipped aircraft in the Middle East and North Africa.
“Making Super Wi-Fi available across our fleet is an important milestone at a time when staying connected with loved ones and friends have never been more important for passengers. As the 2022 FIFA World Cup approaches, Inmarsat is the perfect partner we need to ensure Qatar Airways can offer unrivalled inflight connectivity to each and every passenger, continuing our track record of service excellence. ”
On his part, President of Inmarsat Aviation, Niels Steenstrup, said: “It has been more than four years since Qatar Airways became the launch customer for Inmarsat’s GX Aviation in the Middle East and North Africa and, during that time, millions of passengers have enjoyed access to its Super Wi-Fi service. We are delighted to expand our important partnership even further.
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Observations on Qatar Airways
Qatar Airways’ decision to select GX Aviation is a testament to its continued satisfaction with our global, consistent, and reliable connectivity and the positive feedback it has received from passengers. It has been a pleasure working with the airline on this rollout.
GX Aviation is powered by Global Xpress (GX), the world’s first and only broadband network available everywhere. GX is the world’s first and only broadband network available everywhere. As part of Inmarsat’s fully-funded technology roadmap, seven more satellites will be added to the GX network, which already has five Ka-band satellites. This will make the network even better.