Photo: Inmarsat

Inmarsat has signed a lucrative IFC contract with one of the Middle East’s biggest airlines, announced a week after the deal for Viasat to acquire the Inmarsat. Saudia, the national carrier of Saudi Arabia, has announced that its upcoming fleet of 35 Airbus A321neo and Airbus A321XLR aircraft will offer the GX Aviation high-speed in-flight broadband solution by Inmarsat. The aircraft will connect to GX Aviation using an ultra-high performance terminal by GDC Advanced Technology.

Inmarsat claims this is the first major inflight connectivity agreement in the Middle East since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Saudia will be GX Aviation’s launch customer in Saudi Arabia.

In addition, Saudia will be the first airline in the Middle East to select Inmarsat’s new OneFi customer experience platform, and the first in the world to select GX Aviation’s next generation terminal. The solution, which launched two months ago in September 2021, allows passengers to order food, beverages and duty free items, enjoy ebooks, newspapers and magazines, receive the latest information for their flight and destination, and sign into Saudia’s AlFursan frequent flyer program.

“We understand the growing importance of high-speed inflight broadband, providing a seamless experience for guests to remain connected and entertained while flying with us. Inmarsat’s GX Aviation and OneFi solutions, together with GDC Advanced Technology’s next-generation terminal, will ensure our passengers have access to world-class connectivity on all flights operated by our Airbus A321neo and A321XLR aircraft,” Captain Ibrahim S. Koshy, CEO of Saudia, said in a statement.