DUBAI, UAE, 9 September 2022: As part of its drive to ensure customers ‘fly better’, Emirates has selected the new Thales’ AVANT Up system for its incoming fleet of Airbus A350 aircraft, scheduled for delivery in 2024.
The airline’s investment of over USD350 million will see its 50-strong fleet of A350s equipped with next-generation inflight entertainment solutions that offer a memorable cinematic and personalised passenger experience.
Emirates chief operating officer Adel al Redha said: “Emirates has always regarded inflight entertainment as an essential aspect of our onboard experience, and we were 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.”
The game-changing technology in Thales’ AVANT Up system features Optiq 4k QLED HDR displays – the only aircraft displays using Samsung’s QLED technology to immerse viewers in more than a billion colours. This inflight entertainment product 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.
Emirates’ customers can also look forward to enhanced passenger connectivity with Optiq – the first smart display in the industry to offer two Bluetooth connections and built-in Wi-Fi. Passengers can pair multiple devices, including phones, tablets, headphones or game controllers, while supporting up to 60 watts USB-C to fast-charge personal devices.
To further enrich passenger engagement, Emirates has chosen various AVANT Up digital services, including highly integrated personalisation features, expanded personal electronic device (PED) capabilities, and user interface enhancements that enable visually impaired passengers to have an immersive experience.
Emirates is also the first airline globally to select Thales’ Pulse, a patented power management technology that will ensure that charging performance will be unaffected no matter how many users are charging their devices simultaneously.
Reflecting a shared vision to innovate and shape future inflight experiences, Emirates and Thales continue collaborating on programmes through Dubai’s Aviation X-Lab, an aviation-specific incubator.
For more information or to book flights, visit: www.emirates.com.
(Your Stories: Emirates)
