AirAsia steps up broadband co-operation with Inmarsat

AirAsia has signed a tentative deal with Inmarsat to provide broadband access on Airbus A320s and A330s through the satellite communications specialist’s GX Aviation service.

The airline currently uses Inmarsat’s SwiftBroadband service. It says the new service will provide improved broadband access with “reliable, seamless high-speed global coverage”.

Passengers will be able to stream films, music and games through AirAsia‘s Rokki in-flight entertainment and connectivity platform, the carrier says. Installations are scheduled to begin in late 2017, with the service set to become available in 2018.

At a media briefing during the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg today, AirAsia X chief executive Benyamin Ismail indicated that the system would initially be installed on the group’s A330s, with supplemental type certification for the widebody targeted for November. He adds that the new service will be rolled out “over time” across the entire fleet.

Inmarsat Aviation president Leo Mondale says the partnership is of strategic importance and describes AirAsia as a “leading digital airline in Asia” as well as “one of the most important airlines in the world”.