Condor has selected Inmarsat’s high-speed GX Aviation inflight broadband for its upcoming fleet of Airbus A330-900neo aircraft. The German leisure carrier is renewing its long-haul fleet with 18 Airbus A330-900neos, all of which will be delivered with GX Aviation as a linefit installation.
The aircraft will be operated on Condor’s international route network to the Americas, Africa, the Caribbean and Asia, with the first three Airbus A330-900neos scheduled to enter service by the end of this year and more to follow in early 2023.
GX Aviation is powered by Inmarsat’s Global Xpress (GX) satellite network, which currently consists of five Ka-band satellites and will be further enhanced with the addition of seven more satellites as part of Inmarsat’s fully-funded technology roadmap. This includes two Inmarsat-6s, the most sophisticated commercial communications satellites ever built, both of which are scheduled to enter service next year and will be followed by three additional satellites in geostationary orbit – adding speed, capacity and resilience – and two in highly elliptical orbit, enabling the world’s only commercial mobile broadband service for aircraft flying in higher elevations and across the Arctic.
Condor’s selection of GX Aviation coincides with soaring demand for inflight connectivity after the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Inmarsat’s 2022 passenger experience survey, which surveyed 11,000 passengers worldwide, 77 percent said inflight Wi-Fi is important to them when they travel.
“As we have witnessed over the past few months, demand for air travel has continued to increase significantly and with that, passenger expectations around a digital onboard experience have also evolved rapidly. Fast, reliable inflight broadband is now integral to ensuring that airlines stay ahead of the curve in today’s climate and Inmarsat’s new partnership with Condor is testament to the important role that connectivity solutions play in the airline industry’s recovery and growth strategies,” said Niels Steenstrup, President of Inmarsat Aviation.
The GX network will also play a crucial role in the ongoing growth of Inmarsat’s unique ORCHESTRA dynamic mesh network, which will bring existing geosynchronous (GEO) satellites together with low earth orbit satellites (LEO) and terrestrial 5G to form an integrated, high-performance solution, unmatched by any existing or planned competitor offering.
