The European Aviation Network (EAN) can now be accessed by passengers on more than 250 aircraft across the continent, highlighting its accelerated rollout since entering commercial service.
The connectivity solution has been available to 20 million passengers to date, traveling on more than 200,000 flights throughout Europe, covering key destinations such as London, Madrid, Barcelona, Geneva and Rome. It is currently available with British Airways, Iberia and Vueling, which are all part of International Airlines Group (IAG).
EAN has been developed by Inmarsat and Deutsche Telekom, in partnership with Thales, Nokia, Airbus, Cobham and Eclipse Technics. The team feels it marks a shift in the airline passenger experience, with faster speeds, uninterrupted coverage and lower latency than other inflight Wi-Fi networks in the continent.
“EAN has transformed the inflight broadband market in Europe, offering unprecedented performance that has been truly embraced by airlines and their passengers,” Philip Balaam, president of Inmarsat Aviation, said. “Usage has consistently increased since it entered commercial service and EAN experienced record data traffic in the summer and autumn months last year, reflecting an even stronger desire to stay connected amongst passengers flying during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“An important factor in crossing more than 250 aircraft activations, including British Airways’ entire short-haul fleet, has been the record-breaking installation time we have achieved with EAN – less than nine hours per aircraft. This will ensure a smooth rollout on remaining IAG aircraft and we’re excited that even more passengers will soon have access to the industry’s best-in-class inflight connectivity, providing the same quality of broadband that people expect on the ground, from the comfort of their cabin.”
Rolf Nafziger, senior vice president at Deutsche Telekom Global Carrier and Global Business, said: “EAN is perfectly adapted to Europe’s unique telco infrastructure and a true game-changer in inflight connectivity. For passengers, it offers an unparalleled connectivity experience while in the air above the European continent. For carriers, it provides a highly compelling business case due to its lightweight, small and low maintenance equipment.”
EAN was designed from scratch to meet the needs of European aviation, delivering consistent inflight broadband across Europe, one of the world’s most congested airspaces. EAN says its fully integrated system delivers consistent high-speed broadband on flights, enabling passengers to seamlessly browse the internet, stream videos, check social media, enjoy real-time interactive applications such as gaming, and more.