Virgin Atlantic selects Inmarsat’s GX Aviation for new A350-1000s
Virgin Atlantic’s fleet of A350-1000s will feature Inmarsat’s award-winning GX Aviation inflight broadband for passengers
Virgin Atlantic’s 12 new A350-1000 aircraft will feature Inmarsat's GX Aviation inflight broadband solution. The aircraft will be delivered over the next three years, pre-installed with GX Aviation, with the first equipped aircraft expected to fly later this summer.
Philip Balaam, President of Inmarsat Aviation, said in a statement: “Virgin Atlantic is firmly established as one of the aviation industry’s greatest innovators and was the first airline in Europe to offer WiFi on all flights. Its brand new Airbus A350s will enhance the passenger experience even further and we are delighted that GX Aviation has been selected as the inflight broadband solution for the aircraft. This is another great win for our next-generation solutions.”
“We are excited to unveil details of the unparalleled onboard experience that awaits customers on our new Airbus A350-1000s," said Gail Yates, Head of Inflight Services at Virgin Atlantic. "Offering modern, world-class inflight connectivity is a fundamental part of this experience. We are confident that Inmarsat’s GX Aviation will truly raise the bar and offer second-to-none broadband for our customers.”
To meet growing demand - more than 1,600 aircraft currently are expected under signed contracts for the system, approximately 3,000 aircraft worldwide - Inmarsat has a fully-funded development roadmap, including three further Ka-band payloads. A fifth GX satellite will be launched later this year and two sixth-generation satellites are scheduled to launch in 2020 and 2021. In addition, planning is underway for the next generation of GX satellites.
