By Staff Correspondent
Thales’ AVANT Up inflight entertainment (IFE) solution was chosen by Air India, the first and foremost international airline in India. Air India has the most non-stop routes connecting India to destinations worldwide and the biggest international network in the country. Air India will provide exciting and unforgettable experiences for its customers with the help of Thales’ AVANT Up.
Starting in 2024 and continuing through 2025, Air India’s present fleet of 40 Boeing 777s and 787s will be upgraded and retrofitted with Thales’s cutting-edge AVANT Up technology. The eleven new Airbus and Boeing planes that Air India will be receiving from Thales, equipped with AVANT Up IFE, will start arriving in 2025. Thales is pleased to continue its long-standing partnership with Air India and assist the airline in its mission to revolutionize the in-flight entertainment industry.
An interactive 3D map and immersive route-based programming are just two examples of the many services and applications that AVANT Up makes possible. Guests can have the most straightforward user experience to explore through the wide catalogue of entertainment with Thales’ Select User Interface (UI), which promotes passenger engagement.
The AVANT Up from Thales has Optiq, a line of 4K QLED HDR screens that offer the finest possible viewing experience in the sky. Only the Optiq boasts two Bluetooth connections in addition to built-in Wi-Fi and high-speed USB-A and USB-C charging connectors on the screen. To ensure that travellers reach their destination comfortably and rejuvenated, Optiq allows them to connect their wireless headphones or other devices to the screen while simultaneously charging their phones and computers.
It is with great pleasure that Thales announces an expansion of its long-standing cooperation with Air India. “We are dedicated to assisting the airline in its transition by providing cutting-edge AVANT Up technologies that go above and beyond to provide Air India’s customers with exceptional in-flight experiences that honour India’s colourful culture and heritage,” stated Yannick Assouad, Thales’ Executive Vice-President of Avionics.
The aviation sector in India is expanding at a faster rate than any other country, and it has enormous room to expand much further. Because of this, airlines will have a better opportunity to improve their customers’ flying experiences overall. Thales’ Ashish Saraf, VP and country director for India, expressed his company’s pleasure in helping Air India realise its goal of offering a first-rate in-flight entertainment system.
When you fly with Air India, you can expect nothing less than a first-rate vacation. As part of our transformation strategy, we have partnered with Thales to provide our passengers with their world-class AVANT Up in-flight entertainment systems. According to Rajesh Dogra, Chief Customer Experience Officer of Air India, “This latest inflight entertainment technology will allow us to stay at the forefront of aviation technology and will help us provide our passengers with a unique onboard entertainment system.”
