LATAM Airlines Group has announced plans to install Intelsat’s connectivity service on its fleet of Airbus narrowbody aircraft, including A320ceo and A320neo variants, based in Chile, Ecuador, Peru and Colombia. The installations will include up to 160 aircraft in total and will take three years to complete. Approximately 70 new-delivery aircraft are expected to be line-installed with Intelsat’s 2Ku system by Airbus, prior to delivery to LATAM, at its manufacturing sites in the USA and Europe. When complete, LATAM’s entire narrowbody aircraft fleet will be served by Intelsat’s IFC services.
“We have worked closely with Intelsat to deliver the best connectivity experience on our aircraft based in Brazil, but we know our customers in Spanish-speaking markets want the same onboard experience. Today’s announcement is the first step on that journey, as we aim to deliver the best connectivity service experience in the region using Intelsat’s 2Ku system,” said Paulo Miranda, LATAM’s VP of clients, at the announcement.
LATAM will benefit from what Intelsat describes as the world’s first global unified network to support the next generation of global mobility, set up with an initial US$2B investment. The network includes a fleet of software-defined satellites (SDS) to meet airline passenger demand for streaming-quality inflight connectivity.
