Gulf Air first in the world to offer passengers global live TV onboard

Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, yesterday took delivery of its first A330-200 aircraft retrofitted with Panasonic Avionics Corporation’s (Panasonic) Global Communications Suite.

The comprehensive communications and entertainment solution, ‘Sky Hub’, offers passengers onboard full broadband connectivity to access internet, mobile phone services and, for the first time in the world, a global, live television service onboard. The Panasonic’s Global Communications Suite is being installed across Gulf Air’s entire fleet of aircraft progressively.

Unveiling the ‘Sky Hub’ onboard the aircraft today to the media and senior Bahrain civil aviation officials, Gulf Air Chief Executive Officer Samer Majali said, “It is another important milestone in our customer service journey as we unveil our latest inflight entertainment system, ‘Sky Hub’ on our fleet.”

“We are bringing to you, for the first time in the world, fully integrated broadband connectivity offering  high speed internet with high speed Wi-Fi  and data services, voice over the internet (VOIP), streaming videos and the world’s first in-flight live TV satellite stream across continents.”

He added, “In tune with the fast-paced economy, Gulf Air is providing the fastest, affordable and unlimited internet and mobile access onboard for our customers to stay fully connected in the air and, we are pleased to be the first in the industry to offer our customers a connected airline.”

“I am sure this avant-garde, cutting-edge technology will fundamentally change our passengers’ communication and entertainment experience onboard setting a new standard for in-flight entertainment” Mr. Majali concluded.

Paul Margis, Chief Executive Officer for Panasonic Avionics Corporation said, “We are very excited and honored to have helped Gulf Air become the first carrier in the world to offer a truly amazing passenger entertainment experience with broadband connectivity for high speed internet access, mobile voice and data services, and a live television service that includes some of the world’s most popular news programming and live sporting events.”

Using Panasonic’s Global Communications Suite, Gulf Air will offer two-way broadband connectivity at speeds of up to 50 Mbps to the aircraft, enabling faster browsing, chatting and other internet based services. Gulf Air will offer deeply immersive, content-rich entertainment in addition to live, uninterrupted television services on routes across Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Travelers will no longer have to wait in anxiety until they land to find out scores from their favorite sporting events or news from around the world.  Now they can watch their favorite football teams on IMG Media’s Barclays Premier League channel or keep up with world events on favorite news channels such as BBC World News, BBC Arabic and Euronews.

Passengers also will be able to browse the web at broadband speeds, and access social media services such as Facebook and Twitter. In addition, business travelers can access their virtual private network (VPN) to send and receive emails while watching live-news and stock market updates at 35,000 feet.  They simply need to turn on their personal device, connect to the in-flight Wi-Fi network, and log onto the service through Deutsche Telekom, the wireless internet service provider onboard.

Olivier Baujard, Chief Technology Officer of Deutsche Telekom commented, “We are excited about our future collaboration with Gulf Air.  Together, we can now offer a new and bigger international group of customers the use of high-speed Internet access also in the sky. The expansion of our Wi-Fi offering is an important element in the development of our networks

and in addressing the demands of the Gigabit-Society. It also provides further proof of Deutsche Telekom’s innovation leadership.”

Panasonic’s mobile voice and data service, offered in collaboration with AeroMobile’s award winning in-flight mobile phone technology, will enable passengers to use their mobile phone, Smartphone or BlackBerry device to call, text, email, browse the internet and use other applications throughout the flight.  They will also be able to use GSM-enabled tablets and laptops to go online in flight.

Pal Bjordal, CEO of AeroMobile, says: “AeroMobile is delighted to be supporting this world first from Gulf Air - our 10th customer. With many roaming partners throughout the Middle East, we’re perfectly positioned to help their passengers stay in touch whilst in the air.”

Journalists were given a live demonstration of the system and the opportunity to personally experience the broadband connectivity onboard.

Founded in 1950, Gulf Air is the proud national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain. As a pioneering airline in the Middle East region with sixty years of experience and expertise in flying people across continents, Gulf Air is today one of the most powerful brands and a name to reckon with in the global aviation industry.

One of the prime objectives of Gulf Air is to connect Bahrain to the Middle East countries and the rest of the world. As such the airline currently operates the largest network in the Middle East with non-stop flights while providing seamless onward connections to other international destinations.

The airline’s current network stretches from Europe to Asia, connecting 51 cities in 33 countries, with a fleet of 34 aircraft.  

In tune with the Kingdom’s economic blue print, ‘Vision 2030’, Gulf Air’s strategy is to build an efficient, commercially sustainable and dynamic airline that effectively serves the people and the economy of Bahrain and represents the Kingdom on the world stage. Reflecting the needs and aspirations of its customers, the strategy focuses on three core areas: a targeted, more focused international network, a superior, more consistent product and a modern, more efficient fleet that will optimize value. However, Gulf Air’s goal remains unchanged; its commitment to the latest aviation technology complemented by its hallmark Arabian hospitality for which the airline is well known.