During the COVID-19 pandemic, Qatar Airways highlighted its commitment to the passenger experience by upgrading the current fleet of Boeing B787-8 Dreamliners with Thales AVANT inflight entertainment (IFE) system.
zQatar Airways says it has been eager to replicate the innovative AVANT experience on their Boeing B787-8 aircraft without disrupting the utilization of the fleet and minimizing down time during the retrofit installation. To achieve the goal, Thales developed an upgrade program to adapt the existing legacy system to incorporate new AVANT screens and servers into the existing seats and aircraft infrastructure. This approach includes delivery of full seat modification, hardware and all required certifications, as well as the ability to leverage media integration commonality across the Qatar Airways’ fleet equipped with AVANT.
“As a leader of innovation within the global aviation industry, we are always looking for ways to further enrich our already exceptional 5-Star on board experience for passengers,” said Ms. Salam Al Shawa, Qatar Airways senior vice president, Marketing & Corporate Communications. “With the latest in-flight technology, including lightweight screens, greater content storage and full HD touch screens, we are delighted to work with Thales in bringing the most advanced AVANT IFE system on board our Boeing 787-8 fleet.”
Upgrading to AVANT IFE on the Boeing B787-8 fleet introduces the latest High Definition (HD), capacitive touch screen technology enabling passengers to seamlessly navigate the graphical user interface (GUI) using familiar gestures from their smartphone or tablet. The lightweight screens are two to three times brighter than the former technology, featuring more than 16 million colors for a brilliant viewing experience.
The AVANT system offers a large selection of features and applications with high capacity servers to store over a terabyte of industry leading media content including the latest HD movies, TV show episodes and music collections. Business class passengers will enjoy 17” Full HD touch screens; the main cabin will feature the same high quality experience with 12” smart displays.
“Qatar Airways continues to be a leader in the recovery of the aviation industry, maintaining a paramount commitment to service and to the enrichment of the passenger journey. Together we have developed a turnkey upgrade program with a seamless customer experience and continued installation despite the crisis. With the AVANT IFE system, passengers on Qatar Airways Boeing B787-8 aircraft will enjoy a 5-star experience,” said Philippe Carette, CEO, Thales Inflyt Experience.