Emirates Investing Over US$350m on Inflight Entertainment System for A350s

(18 September 2022, 13:07 +07)  Emirates is investing over US$ 350 million on the inflight entertainment system onboard its incoming fleet of A350 aircraft.

The airline has selected the new Thales’ AVANT Up system for its 50-strong fleet of A350s which are scheduled to commence delivery in 2024.

Adel al Redha, Emirates’ Chief Operating Officer said, “Emirates has always regarded inflight entertainment as an essential aspect of our onboard experience, and we were in fact the first airline to put personal screens onto every single seat onboard when that was far from the norm over 30 years ago. Today, Emirates ice remains unmatched in inflight entertainment content and experience, having won best-in-the-sky awards consecutively for the past 14 years. Our investment in next-generation Thales systems for our new A350 fleet will further our lead, enabling us to deliver even better experiences to our customers. Watch this space.”

The technology in Thales’ AVANT Up system features Optiq 4k QLED HDR displays.

Emirates A350-900

In addition to over 5,000 channels of multi-language content including live TV, the latest box office movies, TV shows, music hits and an inflight shopping channel, the new IFE system will provide an enhanced ‘live’ television solution that will offer a broader choice of live television and news in the highest available definition at 40,000 feet.

Passengers can also look forward to enhanced connectivity with Optiq - the first smart display in the industry to offer two Bluetooth connections, built-in Wi-Fi for passengers to pair multiple devices including phones, tablets, headphones or even game controllers, while supporting up to 60 watts USB-C to fast-charge personal devices.

To further enrich passenger engagement, Emirates has chosen a variety of AVANT Up digital services including highly integrated personalisation features, expanded personal electronic device (PED) capabilities, and user interface enhancements which also enable visually impaired passengers to have an immersive experience.

Emirates is also the first airline globally to select Thales’ Pulse, a patented power management technology which will ensure that charging performance will be unaffected no matter how many users are charging their devices at the same time.

Yannick Assouad, Executive Vice-President, Thales Avionics, said, “At Thales we are proud to partner with Emirates in their mission to Fly Better. Thales’ AVANT Up brings to Emirates the latest consumer technologies and capabilities to the aircraft. Combining our Optiq 4K QLED HDR displays, award-winning dynamic power, and next generation digital services, Emirates customers can expect the extraordinary.”

Emirates and Thales also continue to collaborate on programmes through Dubai’s Aviation X-Lab, an aviation-specific incubator.

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