[SatNews] At the Paris Air Show, Thales was selected by Air Caraïbes to supply the AVANT inflight entertainment and connectivity solutions for their new fleet of six A350 XWB aircraft. Air Caraïbes is a French airline and is the regional airline of the French Caribbean which comprises two overseas departments of France: Guadeloupe and Martinique.
Air Caraibes will be an A350 XWB launch customer in France. The three A350-900 and three A350-1000 series aircraft will be equipped with the state-of-the-art Thales AVANT system based on Android technologies to service business, premium-economy and economy cabins as a scaled solution. The first deliveries are scheduled to enter service in December of 2016.
Business class passengers will enjoy 17 inch screens with the Touch Passenger Media Unit, in-seat power, dual audio jack and USB port. In premium economy, passengers will enjoy 11.6 inch screens, dual audio jacks and USB port. The economy cabin will be equipped with 10.1 inch seatback screens.
Ka-band connectivity will be offered to passengers through Wi-Fi and seatback screens. In addition, passengers will have the possibility to access wireless IFE for content streaming on their personal electronic devices.
The A350-900 received Type Certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in September 2014.
Thales has also reached an agreement with Air Caraibes to be the Value Added Reseller (VAR), which will facilitate the airline’s management of the connectivity solution to the passenger.
AVANT is available to all, single and twin aisle Airbus and Boeing aircraft and has already been selected by many worldwide airlines. More than 130 aircraft currently fly with the AVANT system and total orders exceed 500.
750,000 passengers each day across 75 partner airlines use Thales InFlyt Experience systems, making Thales one of the most successful developers of IFE systems in the world.
"We are pleased that Air Caraibes selected our Android Avant system and connectivity solution for their A350 fleet. Their decision to equip the newest planes of their fleet with the latest generation AVANT is a testament to our ability to partner with the airline and provide a premier passenger experience ”. Dominique Giannoni, Thales VP and CEO, Thales InFlyt Experience
