ASTANA, Kazakhstan – Air Astana passengers will soon become among the first in the world to experience broadband in-flight connectivity following an agreement recently signed with air transport IT provider, Rockwell Collins. Internet access will be available using personal computers, tablets and smartphones.
Air Astana will install the associated Inmarsat Global Xpress (GX) high speed connectivity system on its fleet of Boeing 767 airliners commencing in September 2016. This will make Air Astana one of the worldโs first airlines in the world to go operational with the GX system.
โAs a customer oriented airline, Air Astana is always looking to improve the passenger experience on the ground and in the air. Weโre very excited about the new in-flight connectivity opportunities that GX reliably provides to Air Astana passengers,โ said Andrey Gulev, Commercial Engineer Manager at Air Astana. โAfter carefully reviewing a number of competing offers, Air Astanaโs decision came down to Rockwell Collinsโ ability to provide a cost-effective solution that was tailored to meet all our needs.โ
โThis GX Aviation service opens up new possibilities for Air Astana and its customers,โ said Jeff Standerski, senior vice president, Information Management Services (IMS) for Rockwell Collins. โAir Astanaโs passengers will soon experience what only a handful of others around the world willโthe fastest and most reliable inflight connectivity available. For Air Astana, this service offers the opportunity to develop new offerings that go far beyond whatโs possible today.โ
The new service will be available to Business and Economy class passengers on all three of Air Astanaโs Boeing 767s. Using their own devices passengers will be able to surf the internet, use various instant messenger applications and check e-mails. First aircraft installation will commence in September 2016 and will be followed by system installation on the other two aircraft in March and September 2017.