Emirates has announced that it will invest over US$ 350 million to install Next-Generation Inflight Entertainment systems on its new Airbus A350 fleet.
Emirates has selected the new Thales’ AVANT Up system for its incoming fleet of 50 Airbus A350 aircraft, scheduled for delivery from 2024.
The game-changing technology in Thales’ AVANT Up system features Optiq 4K QLED HDR display, which is the only aircraft display using Samsung’s QLED technology to immerse viewers in more than a billion colors. This rich display capability provides the perfect medium for Emirates’ unmatched ICE (which stands for Information, Communication and Entertainment) inflight entertainment product which delivers over 5,000 channels of multi-language content including live TV, the latest box office movies, TV shows and music hits, and the world’s first inflight shopping channel, EmiratesRED.
The new system from Thales will also provide an enhanced ‘live’ television solution that offers a broader choice of live television and news in the highest available definition at 40,000 feet.
Passengers can also look forward to enhanced passenger 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.
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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.
The Dubai-based airline is the first airline in the world 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. Pulse is a modular system built with smart power management that dynamically allocates power where the passengers need it. While being compact in size, the ability to install Pulse between the seat beams gives legroom back to the passenger and Pulse’s high efficiency lowers heat dissipation within seat-backs.
Here’s a short video about the new AVANT Up system by Thales:
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.
said Adel al Radha, Chief Operating Officer, Emirates.
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.
said Yannick Assouad, Executive Vice-President, Thales Avionics.
Emirates and Thales are continuing to collaborate on programmes through Dubai’s Aviation X-Lab, an aviation-specific incubator.
Meanwhile, Emirates has announced that it will introduce Premium Economy Class to 5 more cities in addition to Sydney, London and Paris that are currently served with A380s featuring Premium Economy Class.
Featured image by Emirates
What do you think of Emirates installing Thales’ AVANT Up Inflight Entertainment Screens on its A350 fleet? Let me know in the comments section below.
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