As part of its fleet modernisation and expansion drive, Air India has signed up French defence and electronics giant Thales for equipping 51 of its widebody aircraft with its Avant Up Inflight Entertainment System.

India’s largest international carrier Air India has selected Thales, a leading French defence and electronics company, to equip its aircraft for inflight entertainment systems made by Thales.

In a press statement, Thales says that its IFE system, Avant Up, has been selected for modernising Air India’s widebody fleet as well as for its new acquisitions.

Thales says it will upgrade and retrofit Air India’s current fleet of 40 Boeing 777’s and 787’s with its state-of-the-art system, starting in 2024 and continuing through 2025. Additionally, Thales will install the systems also on Air India’s 11 new Airbus and Boeing aircraft with deliveries to commence in 2025. 

Thales says it is proud to build on the enduring relationship with Air India to support the airline’s transformation in redefining the passenger entertainment experience.

It adds that Avant Up offers tremendous possibilities for integrating a wide range of services and applications, such as an interactive 3D map and immersive route-based programming. Thales’ Select User Interface (UI) enhances passenger engagement enabling guests to enjoy the most intuitive user experience to navigate across the rich catalogue of entertainment.

The system features Optiq, 4K QLED HDR displays designed to provide the best viewing experience in the air with unrivalled picture quality. 

Optiq features in-screen USB-A and USB-C high speed charging ports and is the only display with two Bluetooth connections and built-in Wi-Fi. With Optiq passengers can pair their wireless headphone or other devices to the display while also charging their phones and laptops so they can arrive at their destination recharged and relaxed, says Thales.

‘‘At Thales, we are very proud to deepen our long-standing partnership with Air India. ​ We are committed to support the airline’s transformation by delivering state-of-the-art Avant Up technologies that transcend the ordinary to offer Air India’s customers with world-class inflight experiences celebrating the vibrant culture and colours of India,’’ says Yannick Assouad, Executive Vice-President Avionics, Thales.

“India is the fastest growing aviation market in the world, with huge potential for further growth. This sets the stage for airlines to elevate overall flying experience of passengers. We are pleased to support Air India in achieving the ambition of providing superior customer experience with our advanced Avant Up inflight entertainment,” says Ashish Saraf, VP and Country Director for India, Thales.

“Air India is committed to providing a world-class travel experience to its passengers. Partnering with Thales for its top-of-the-class Avant Up inflight entertainment systems is a step in the direction of our transformation programme. This latest inflight entertainment technology will allow us to stay at the forefront of aviation technology and will help us provide our passengers with a unique onboard entertainment system,” says Rajesh Dogra, Chief Customer Experience Officer, Air India.