Intelsat equips Air France's A220 fleet with connectivity

Contract award consolidates Intelsat's leading IFC role in A220 airframe

Intelsat's solution is the industry's leading in-flight connectivity (IFC) solution because it simply offers the highest throughput and reliability for planes and devices around the world, and enables an excellent passenger experience and exceptional Net through Internet access Promoter Scores (NPS).

"We are honored to partner with Air France to provide passengers with a great connectivity experience on Airbus' state-of-the-art A220 aircraft," said John Wade, President, Commercial Aviation, Intelsat. "This order increases Intelsat's Air France's equipped fleet of 143 aircraft, including wide-bodied B777s and A330s. Air France is the third partner airline to choose Intelsat for the A220 airframe and our first partner among European airlines to implement 2Ku as a Linefit. "

Intelsat 2Ku is the fastest growing broadband satellite connectivity technology in aviation. It is currently used by leading airlines in North America, South America, Europe and Asia.

“Having internet access and being able to stay connected with family and friends while traveling has become essential for our customers,” said Fabien Pelous, Air France's senior vice president of customer experience. "We are pleased to be partnering with Intelsat to offer our customers this service."

With an initial investment of USD 2 billion, Intelsat is building a unified 5G network worldwide that will support practically every access technology and enable global mobility, the Internet of Things and the next generation of 5G services. By combining software-defined technology and a multi-orbit, multi-layer and multi-band network, we are helping airlines get the size they need and a unified, more powerful way to connect.

The Internet on board Air France's A220 fleet is expected to go into operation with the start of commercial flight operations in autumn 2021.

Source: Intelsat media announcement