Can Hawaiian Airlines convert an onboard datalink into real cash savings for the operation? That’s the holy grail of promises from satellite network operators and the carrier believes its recent invesment in the Pacelab Flight Profile Optimizer (FPO) solution can deliver.
Global Xpress
Air India switching to streaming, giving up on embedded IFE
Improving the passenger experience or driving a revenue boost? Why not both? Air India’s latest IFE plans hope to deliver improvements on both sides of the ledger.
Mahata secures additional funding to support Garuda GX rollout
Mahata Aero Technology (MAT) secured an additional $21 million in funding to help accelerate the growth of its budding inflight connectivity business. MAT is the integrator and financier behind the connectivity contracts for Garuda Indonesia and its LCC arm Citilink. The $21 million cash infusion will “accelerate the installation of inflight connectivity infrastructure in all Garuda Indonesia Group […]
PaxEx Premium: A pleasant surprisESA
The only official announcement around electronically steered antennae (ESA) for commercial aircraft this week at Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg came from Gogo. And it probably was the least significant ESA story from the show. Instead, a surprise from a different supplier stole the spotlight.
PaxEx Premium: Inmarsat set to go private, change very little
Inmarsat's financial future appears secured. A consortium of investors is poised to invest $3.4bn in the company, taking it private. The price tag represents a 45% premium from the trading rate on the day prior to speculation about the deal becoming public and 27% to the price when the official offer was published. Inmarsat's Board of Directors unanimously recommends the deal and committed their respective shares to vote in favor. The investment group is operating under the name Triton Bidco and is backed by Apax Funds, Warburg Pincus Funds, the Canada Pension Plan and the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan.
Air Senegal, SITAONAIR launch GX inflight connectivity in Africa
High speed inflight wifi is now flying over Africa as Air Senegal’s A330neo enters service. The solution is powered by SITAONAIR and Inmarsat’s GX Aviation network.
Inmarsat, British Airways launch EAN connectivity in Europe
“Finally.” That’s the sentiment as the European Aviation Network (EAN) enters service for Inmarsat and British Airways. The soft launch this week is expected to lead to more than a hundred aircraft in service by mid-year.
Qatar Airways upgrades economy class seating, amenities
More legroom and upgraded IFE/C systems highlight the new Qatar Airways economy class experience, premiering on the new A321neo fleet later this year. The seat design may attract some complaints, however, based on similar, previous efforts by others.
PaxEx Premium: Inmarsat’s IFC revenues continue inconsistent growth
Another quarterly earnings report from Inmarsat and another bullish report on inflight connectivity revenue. The group reported IFC revenues more than doubled to $101.3m for the full year. As revenue and install count continues to grow Inmarsat is optimistic, though the underlying numbers suggest the potential remains unrealized.
Inflight Internet in India: An Opportunity Overview
India is one of the fastest growing aviation markets in the world and, somewhat surprisingly, one of the least connected in flight. That will soon change, however, thanks to the recent publication of new government regulations. Indian aviation is about to get online in a big way.