Medium-Haul Aircraft Equipped With Thales AVANT IFE And Connectivity

Singapore Airlines is known globally for its high standards of service and cabin experience. The airline has been awarded the internationally acclaimed five-star rating from Skytrax and was recognized by the organization in 2018 as the "World's Best Airline" for the fourth time, operating a modern passenger fleet of more than 100 aircraft. For the upcoming fleet of A350-900 medium haul aircraft, Singapore Airlines has entrusted Thales to sustain their brand promise of improving service excellence, retaining competitive advantage and continuing to meet and exceed customer expectations.

This new fleet of aircraft will be equipped with Thales's AVANT IFE system, featuring an innovative and personalized user experience uniquely designed for Singapore Airlines. The 40 Business Class passengers will enjoy 17" High Definition touch screen monitors with a complementing handset that operates similarly to a consumer smartphone, enabling passengers to use it as a secondary device to control the seatback monitor. The 263 Economy Class seats will feature the latest 11.6" touchscreen monitors.

The sleek and lightweight design of AVANT provides travelers an exceptional inflight experience with Singapore Airlines' vast choice of entertainment. The IFE solution is designed with a new Signature user interface that is unique to Singapore Airlines, and offers a more intuitive user experience with new additional navigational options. Some key features on AVANT include:

• Media Filter: This enables passengers to efficiently locate desired media by filtering content through the various categories, genres, languages and available flight duration;
• Flight Info Map: When enjoying movies or TV shows, passengers are able to concurrently bring up flight info without exiting the media player; and,
• Air Mouse (available in Business Class): The touch screen handset functions as a remote control by directing the onscreen cursor on the seatback monitor.

With Singapore Airlines' myKrisWorld complementing the new IFE system, passengers are able to enjoy a personalized inflight entertainment service with over 1,800 movies, television shows, music, interactive games, informational applications and more. KrisFlyer members and passengers traveling in premium classes will also have access to additional content. Passengers will be able to personalize preferences upon sign-in and bookmark partially watched movies and TV shows to be resumed on subsequent flights.

Passengers onboard Singapore Airlines' new A350-900 medium-haul aircraft will enjoy high speed WiFi service using Inmarsat's Global Xpress (GX) satellite network. The pairing of global Ka-band connectivity and Thales's latest IFE innovations provides a comprehensive set of onboard entertainment services that transform passenger experiences wherever they fly.

To ensure that the IFE and Connectivity systems remain at optimal performance, Thales will also provide turn-key maintenance support and services through its FlytCARE service, including line maintenance, software and media content loading, repairs and support from the Singapore Customer Support Center.

"At Thales, we are committed to enriching and expanding Singapore Airlines' passenger experience through the digital transformation of airline services," said Philippe Carette, Chief Executive Officer, Thales InFlyt Experience. "Singapore Airlines leads the industry in aircraft innovation and we are proud to be partnering with them to create the ultimate inflight experience for their customers."

"Innovation has always been at the forefront for Singapore Airlines in delivering the best experience for our customers. Through this partnership with Thales, we are excited to equip our new A350-900 medium haul aircraft with the latest IFEC innovation systems to reinforce SIA's product leadership and ensure a differentiated experience for SIA customers," said Senior Vice President Customer Experience Mr Yeoh Phee Teik.

(Source: Thales Group news release)

FMI: www.thalesgroup.com/en