Qatar Boeing 787-9 and 737-10 Fleets to Offer In-Flight Connectivity

Qatar Airways, the state-owned flag carrier of the Middle Eastern peninsular nation of Qatar, has selected British satellite communications company Inmarsat, to provide inflight digital connectivity to its Boeing 787-9 and 737-10 fleets.

Once equipped, the aircraft will grant passengers and crews access to GX Aviation—Inmarsat’s wholly owned, purpose-built, in-flight broadband network.

The service promises to be a boon to the legions of soccer fans who, in November, will converge upon the Qatari cities of Lusail, Al Khor, Doha, Al Rayyan, and Al Wakrah to take in the 2022 FIFA World Cup—the first ever hosted in the Arab world. Match scores, video replays, and even livestream games will all be available to enjoy aboard Qatar Airways’ fully connected fleet.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker states: “Over the years, Qatar Airways has pioneered a range of game-changing innovations as part of our exceptional five-star passenger experience. This, in turn, has resulted in the international air transport rating organization Skytrax naming us Airline of the Year an unprecedented six times. The launch of our Super Wi-Fi, powered by Inmarsat’s GX Aviation, is a prime example. We were amongst the first airlines in the world to adopt this technology and remain the largest operator of GX-equipped aircraft in the Middle East and North Africa. Mr. Al Bakar continues: “Making Super Wi-Fi available across our fleet is an important milestone at a time when staying connected with loved ones and friends has never been more important for passengers. As the 2022 FIFA World Cup approaches, Inmarsat is the perfect partner we need to ensure Qatar Airways can offer unrivaled inflight connectivity to each and every passenger, continuing our track record of service excellence.”

Inmarsat Aviation president Niels Steenstrup adds: “It has been more than four years since Qatar Airways became the launch customer for Inmarsat’s GX Aviation in the Middle East and North Africa and, during that time, millions of passengers have enjoyed access to its Super Wi-Fi service. We are delighted to expand our important partnership even further. Qatar Airways’ decision to select GX Aviation is testament to its continued satisfaction with our global, consistent, and reliable connectivity, as well as the positive feedback it has received from passengers. It has been a pleasure working with the airline on this rollout.”

Inmarsat’s GX network currently comprises five Ka-band satellites. An additional seven satellites—three geostationary units, two units in elliptical Earth orbits, and two highly-sophisticated Inmarsat-6 models—will be added in 2023. The completed constellation will facilitate peerless connection speed, data capacity, and resilience, even to aircraft flying at extreme northerly or southerly latitudes.

The GX network will also play a crucial role in the ongoing growth of Inmarsat’s ORCHESTRA network, a uniquely capable syncretism of extant geosynchronous (GEO) satellites, low-earth-orbit satellites (LEO), and terrestrial 5G.

FMI: www.qatarairways.com