Etihad Airways to feature all 64 World Cup matches live onboard
Tuesday, 17 June 2014 00:25
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Passengers on all Etihad Airways long haul flights will be able to enjoy the live action of every FIFA World Cup football match during the month-long tournament.
IMG Media will transmit all 64 games live to the airline’s modern, wide-bodied fleet using Etihad Airways’ state-of-the-art interactive Panasonic E-box inflight entertainment system.
E-box personal video screens are installed in every seat in every cabin – first, business and economy – which means football fans who are flying at any time during the tournament need not miss a game.
Peter Baumgartner, Chief Commercial Officer, Etihad Airways said, “The FIFA World Cup is the biggest and most exciting sporting event in the world and I’m delighted that all of our guests will be able to watch every match while they fly with us on their long haul business or holiday flights. I hope that they sit back, relax and enjoy the great football action.”
The World Cup kicked off in Brazil on Thursday, with host nation Brazil beating Croatia in Sao Paulo 3-1, albeit with a help from a hugely controversial penalty decision that ultimately gave the Brazilians the lead.
The final will be played on Sunday, 13 July in Rio de Janeiro when the global television audience for this single match alone is estimated to reach more than one billion people. Etihad Airways operates a three-class Airbus A340-500 ultra-long range aircraft on the Abu Dhabi-Sao Paulo route.
The airline employs 49 Brazilian nationals as cabin crew.