Qatar Airways has picked the Airbus ALNAv2 standalone connectivity solution for its 80 A350 XWBs and with it Airbus/SITA joint venture OnAir's full cabin communications suite.
The move means that Qatar has opted not to select Thales' in-flight GSM/wi-fi solution for its A350s, despite the fact that the manufacturer is providing its Android-based AVANT IFEC system for the jetliners.
Thales declined comment "at the request of the airline".
OnAir tells Flight Daily News that its connectivity suite "will run over Inmarsat's SwiftBroadband" aeronautical service. Deliveries are expected to begin in 2013.
Asked whether later deliveries will offer Inmarsat's higher-speed Ka-band-supported Global Xpress service, OnAir said: "We are ready to offer the service to Qatar when they will decide to select it."
Ian Dawkins, CEO of OnAir, said: "OnAir's services are the first to be selected as linefit by an A350 operator. It marks a continuation of our strategy to have our services available as a linefit option across Airbus and Boeing aircraft, as well as other aircraft types."
Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker added: "Onboard passenger communications means both mobile phone and the internet should be available, everywhere in the world, and the OnAir solution goes a long step towards ensuring we maintain consistency on our different aircraft."
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
