Photo: Qatar Airways

Thales has won a new In-Flight Connectivity (IFC) deal with Qatar Airways, one of the Middle East’s largest airlines. The company announced Tuesday that Qatar Airways will use its AVANT IFE system on Boeing B787-8 Dreamliners in its fleet. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Qatar Airways has decided to invest significantly to upgrade its In-Flight Entertainment (IFE) experience. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.

This new system includes the latest High Definition (HD) capacitive touch screen technology and offers offers a large selection of features and applications with high capacity servers to store over a terabyte of media content. Business class passengers will have access to 17-inch full HD touch screens; the main cabin will feature 12-inch smart displays.

“As a leader of innovation within the global aviation industry, we are always looking for ways to further enrich our already exceptional five-star on-board experience for passengers. 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,” said Salam Al Shawa, Qatar Airways senior vice president of marketing and communications.