Emirates selects Inmarsat’s GX Aviation for A350 fleet
The plan for high-speed inflight broadband onboard A350’s is the latest addition to Emirates' multi-billion-dollar investment into its onboard product and passenger experience
Emirates has selected Inmarsat as the inflight connectivity provider for its incoming fleet of 50 A350s, extending their long-standing partnership.
The A350s, which will enter service in 2024 will be the first Emirates aircraft to take advantage of Inmarsat’s Global Xpress (GX) satellite network.
Adel al Redha, Emirates’ Chief Operating Officer, said in a January 11 press release, “Delivering a world-class onboard experience has always been paramount to Emirates and we understand the importance of being connected during flights. Over the years, we have worked closely with Inmarsat and our supplier partners to ensure all our aircraft offer Wi-Fi connectivity. We look forward to finding ways and options to improve the connectivity onboard our aircraft by utilizing GX Aviation for our Airbus A350 fleet. The advanced capabilities being introduced by the forthcoming satellites are particularly important, as this will boost capacity across our global network, including aircraft flying over the Arctic for routes between the Middle East and America.”
The GX network currently consists of five Ka-band satellites and will be further enhanced with the addition of seven more satellite payloads as part of Inmarsat's fully funded technology roadmap. This includes two Inmarsat-6s, the most sophisticated commercial communications satellites ever built, both of which are scheduled to enter service this year.
These will be followed by three additional satellites in geostationary orbit — adding speed, capacity, and resilience — and two in highly elliptical orbit (HEO), which launch later this year and enter service next year.
