Emirates selects Thales for A350-900s
Avant Up will have more than 5,000 channels on Emirates ice system
Emirates’ 50 A350-900s will be equipped with Thales’ AVANT Up inflight entertainment solution. Thales’ IFE system will be integrated with Emirates’ preferred next generation connectivity solution. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2024.
Emirates’ ice features more than 5,000 channels of entertainment. Content will be delivered on Optiq, Thales’ new 4k QLED HDR displays. These are the only aircraft displays using Samsung’s QLED. Optiq is the first smart display in the industry to offer two Bluetooth connections, built-in Wi-Fi for passengers to pair multiple devices including phones, tablets, headphones and even game controllers, while also supporting up to 70 watts of in-screen charging for passenger devices - 10 watts from the USB-A and 60 watts fast charging from the USB-C.
Emirates is the first airline to select Thales’ Pulse. With Pulse’s power management technology, charging performance will be unaffected no matter how many users are charging their devices at the same time.
Emirates has chosen several AVANT Up digital services. These services include highly integrated personalization features, expanded personal electronic device (PED) capabilities and user interface enhancements enabling visually impaired passengers to have an immersive experience.
Thales and Emirates continue to build on their successful collaboration to advance the future of travel. Through the partnership in Dubai’s Aviation XLab, an aviation-specific incubator, Thales and Emirates will work on future advancements in IFE.
“Emirates has always regarded inflight entertainment as an essential aspect of our onboard experience, and we were in fact the first airline to put personal screens onto every single seat onboard when that was far from the norm over 30 years ago,” Adel al Redha, Emirates’ Chief Operating Officer. “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 and enable us to deliver even better experiences to our customers. Watch this space.”
Yannick Assouad, Executive Vice-President, Thales Avionics added: “At Thales we are proud to partner with Emirates in their mission to Fly Better. Thales’ AVANT Up brings to Emirates the latest consumer technologies and capabilities to the aircraft. Combining our Optiq 4K QLED HDR displays, award-winning dynamic power, and next generation digital services, Emirates customer can expect the extraordinary.”
