PaxEx.Aero

The Business of Passenger Experience

Thales Inflyt

PaxEx Premium: Mahata joins the IFC financing fray

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Is there a secret to better financing of inflight connectivity solutions? Indonesia's Mahata Aero Technology (MAT) is the latest to take that plunge, with an arrangement to cover the costs for Garuda and Citilink. The deal relies on partnerships with suppliers Lufthansa Systems, Lufthansa Technik and Inmarsat, along with what MAT Executive Director Iwan Setiawan describes as "a unique business model" that is proving successful in its preliminary state.

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PaxEx Premium: Another ThinAir Ka2517 certification in the works

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Antenna manufacturer ThinKom confirmed a second STC program currently active for its ThinAir Ka2517 kit. Although the company declined to provide any further details on which inflight connectivity provider or aircraft type is involved, some strong indicators are present, giving PaxEx.Aero confidence in naming a likely first buyer of the product. The A320 STC program...

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PaxEx Premium: Digging into the Thales lawsuit claims

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With billions of dollars in contracts at stake perhaps it makes sense that Thales would seek extra help in securing new deals. That it stands accused of failing to pay its partner for that help is less good. That it now also likely faces scrutiny from US and international regulators related to suspicious payment schemes and efforts to influence leaders of foreign airlines is even worse. Welcome to the fun and exciting world of supplier deals in the Middle East.

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Thales faces RICO lawsuit around IFEC deals in the Middle East

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Is it possible for inflight entertainment and connectivity vendors to do business in the Middle East without suspicion of bribery and fraud? Just a couple years after securing multiple major contracts Thales stands accused of failing to pay a partner it used to facilitate those deals. More than a billion dollars in damages are on the line in the case.

Seeking ThinAir: The search continues

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A couple weeks ago hopes were high for a new antenna system in flight testing. That dream appears to have come back down to earth as Spirit Airlines’ first A321 with the Thales FlytLive kit installed reentered flight services this week.

Digging in to Global Connectivity Revenues

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A pair of recent earnings reports left open questions about just how many aircraft are generating how much inflight connectivity revenue. Both Gogo and Inmarsat clarified those positions, providing better context around their numbers.

PaxEx Premium: Digging in to Global Connectivity Revenues

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A pair of earnings reports last week left open questions about just how many aircraft are generating how much inflight connectivity revenue. Both Gogo and Inmarsat clarified those positions, providing better context around their numbers.

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An end to cheap* WiFi for airlines?

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Maybe it has never truly been cheap for passengers, but airlines historically took advantage of great deals from suppliers to secure inflight wifi connectivity solutions relatively inexpensively. As those vendors now seek financial stability more than market share a shift is underway. Is the era of cheap wifi over? (And did it ever really exist?!?)

Thales scores a pair of China Southern wins at Zhuhai Air Show

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This year’s Zhuhai Air Show in China delivered little significant commercial aircraft news. Standing out in the event the partnership between Thales and China Southern offered up a pair of new deals. The two companies have a strong relationship dating back nearly 20 years and this week’s moves further those ties.

PaxEx Premium: Predicting a new antenna in flight

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As the new Thales/Spirit Airlines Ka-band inflight wifi connectivity solution inches closer to flight testing it appears necessary to dispel one rumor about timing and opine on a very different one about the antenna technology that will be used on board.

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