An Azul Airbus A330-900neo. Photo: Viasat

Brazil’s largest airline Azul awarded Viasat a deal to connect seven aircraft in its new Airbus A330-900neo fleet with in-flight connectivity (IFC). 

Under the deal announced Tuesday, Viasat will equip the aircraft with its Ka-band in-flight connectivity solution. The first aircraft scheduled to enter service next year. Azul is also adding ad-supported streaming sessions using the Viasat Advertising platform.

This is an expansion deal for Viasat. The satellite operator has worked with Azul since 2021, when Azul was the first South American airline to select Viasat’s in-flight internet service. 

Azul’s Chief People and Customer Officer Jason Ward said the company’s connectivity experience is part of what differentiates the airline. 

“From Brazilians’ thirst for real time sports scores to their desire to stay connected to loved ones on the ground while flying, our hypothesis that this feature would be critical to customer satisfaction is playing out in the market. We look forward to continuing to work closely with Viasat as we continue to build on our current in-flight Wi-Fi experience in the future,” Ward commented. 

Viasat has signed new contracts or expansion deals with a number of international airlines this year including German airline Lufthansa Group, Poland’s LOT Airlines, Qantas Airways, Royal Jordanian Airlines, Icelandair, and Korean Air.