Saudia-Saudi Arabia’s flag carrier in association with Inmarsat-British telecom firm, a global leader in mobile satellite communication, and GDC Technics, an industry pioneer for engineering and technical services, modifications and electronic systems formed an alliance. Recently in a statement announced by Saudia, this alliance will be utilizing award winning GX Aviation high-speed inflight broadband solution from Inmarsat for Saudia’s upcoming fleet of 35 Airbus A321neo and Airbus A321XLR aircraft.
The fleet will also be featuring ultra-high-performance terminal with advanced connectivity service from GDC technics. This core inflight connectivity agreement within Middle East, its first ever since COVID-19 Pandemic, Saudia will be the GX aviation’s launch client in the Kingdom.
Saudia also announced that, the airline will also be unveiling industry first global airlines that will be offering out Inmarsat’s revolutionary new OneFi customer experience platform (CXP) and the next-generation terminal for GX Aviation, established by GDC Technics.
As per the firm’s statement, this selection will empower Saudia for offering global class digitalized experience for passengers onboard 20 Airbus A321neo and 15 Airbus A321XLR. As per interim reports are concerned, the airline’s initial GX Aviation installation is all anticipated within late 2022, once the services go live, clients can seamlessly get instant, swifter access for the internet, streaming videos, checking social media, e-commerce and more during flights utilizing their own private devices.
As per the firm’s reports, Saudia’s selection of GX Aviation and OneFi comes at a critical time for the aviation industry, with the global pandemic having fast-tracked passenger request for digital inflight experiences. Inmarsat’s 2021 Passenger Confidence Tracker, the major, comprehensive global survey of its kind since the pandemic began, found that digital solutions that keep passengers connected and diminish their contact with cabin crew and fellow passengers can go a long way in boosting confidence.
Additionally, out of the 10,000 respondents, 41% believed inflight Wi-Fi had further improved in vitality post the pandemic.
Statement from Captain Ibrahim S. Koshy, CEO of Saudia
Saudia’s CEO, Captain Ibrahim S. Koshy, stated out regarding the agreement between the firms that, “As the national flag carrier, SAUDIA is constantly innovating to support the fleet’s growth plans and was recently named the World’s Most Improved Airline of 2021 by Skytrax, the second time we have been awarded this honour in recent years.”
Mr. Koshy further added out that, “We understand the growing importance of high-speed inflight broadband for guests, providing a seamless experience to keep connected and entertained while flying with us. The combination of Inmarsat’s GX Aviation and OneFi solutions, together with the next-generation GDC terminal, will ensure our passengers have access to world-class connectivity on all flights operated by our Airbus A321neo and A321XLR aircraft.”
Statement from Rajeev Suri, CEO of Inmarsat
CEO of Inmarsat, Rajeev Suri stated that, “GX Aviation has established itself as the gold standard for inflight connectivity and we are delighted to welcome SAUDIA as our latest customer. This agreement truly reinforces the airline as a global aviation pioneer and innovator, not only because it’s the first airline in Saudi Arabia to offer advanced next-generation inflight broadband, but also the first carrier in the world to select both Inmarsat’s OneFi platform and new GDC Technics aircraft terminal. We look forward to rolling out the service with SAUDIA, initially on its Airbus A321neo and A321XLR aircraft, so that its passengers can benefit from uninterrupted high-speed Wi-Fi on flights.”
Statement from Vice President of Sales for GDC Technics, Mustapha Al Gadoum
Vice President of Sales for GDC Technics, Mustapha Al Gadoum, stated that “More than being just an enabler for the digital transformation of the airline experience, providing a touchless onboard experience will be the key to increasing passenger confidence as regional and global air travel recovers from the global Covid-19 pandemic.”
He further added out that, “GX Aviation is well positioned to exploit our new lightweight, low drag, ultra-high-performance terminal, and will optimise its capabilities even further, providing SAUDIA with the perfect blueprint for world-class inflight broadband that meets passenger expectations for generations to come.”
As per firm’s interim reports, the GX Aviation’s future-generation terminal will be created, installed by GDC Technics, utilizing better, robust flat panel antenna created by Thinkom. Saudia also added that a range of technology assessments and test flights are followed for the commanding new terminal displaying its ability to consistently deliver the highest levels of inflight connectivity, even over the global busiest airspaces.
The GDC terminal’s performance will be further advanced by continued enhancements to Inmarsat’s Global Xpress (GX) satellite network. GX5, Inmarsat’s most advanced satellite to date, is the latest in the network to enter commercial service and will provide SAUDIA with significant layered capacity and network redundancy over the Middle East and Europe, which forms one of the world’s busiest travel corridors.
Inmarsat’s technology roadmap will be able to witness seven further satellite launches by 2024, with first satellite commencement in the Inmarsat-6 fleet (I-6 F1), the largest, most sophisticated commercial communications satellite ever manufactured, which is scheduled to launch on 21 December 2021. This shapes on the launch of latest possibilities through ELERA in L-band that, together with Global Xpress and forthcoming low earth orbit and terrestrial networks, will deliver Inmarsat ORCHESTRA.
Press Release received on mail from Saudia
