Emirates’ A350 fleet to feature Thales AVANT Up IFE system

Emirates has chosen Thales’ next-generation in-flight entertainment system AVANT Up for its new fleet of Airbus A350 aircraft.

​Emirates has ordered 50 Airbus A350-900 aircraft. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2024 and the new fleet will be equipped with Thales’ system and integrated with Emirates’ preferred next-generation connectivity solution.

Adel al Redha, Emirates’ Chief Operating Officer said: “Emirates has always regarded in-flight entertainment as an essential aspect of our onboard experience, and we were in fact the first airline to put personal screens onto every single seat on board when that was far from the norm over 30 years ago. Today, Emirates ice remains unmatched in in-flight entertainment content and experience, having won best-in-the-sky awards consecutively for the past 14 years.”

Emirates’ award-winning entertainment system, “ice”, features over 5,000 channels of entertainment. ​”Our investment in next-generation Thales systems for our new A350 fleet will further our lead and enable us to deliver even better experiences to our customers. Watch this space,” Redha continued.

IFE content will be delivered on Optiq, Thales’ new 4k QLED HDR displays. Thales says they are the only aircraft displays using Samsung’s QLED, the best technology for optimal in-seat viewing. Optiq is the first smart display in the industry to offer two Bluetooth connections and built-in Wi-Fi for passengers to pair multiple devices including phones, tablets, headphones and even game controllers. It also supports up to 70 watts of in-screen charging for passenger devices.

Thales says Emirates is the first airline to select its award-winning Pulse which features power management technology charging performance that is unaffected no matter how many users are charging their devices at the same time.

Emirates has also chosen several AVANT Up digital services which include highly integrated personalisation features, expanded personal electronic device (PED) capabilities and user interface enhancements that enable visually impaired passengers to have an immersive experience.

Yannick Assouad, Executive Vice-President, Thales Avionics commented: “At Thales we are proud to partner with Emirates in their mission to Fly Better. Thales’ AVANT Up brings to Emirates the latest consumer technologies and capabilities to the aircraft. Combining our Optiq 4K QLED HDR displays, award-winning dynamic power, and next generation digital services, Emirates customers can expect the extraordinary.”