Airbus Scores Connectivity Deals From Emirates, Air India & Air Algerie At The Dubai Airshow

Airbus has secured three additional deals with Emirates, Air Algerie, and Air India, as the three airlines chose the manufacturer’s Airspace Link HBCplus, a flexible satellite connectivity solution for Airbus’ aircraft. According to the European plane maker, the new orders total 71 aircraft, split between 60 Emirates Airbus A380, five Air Algeria A330neo, and six Air India A350-900s.

More commitments

Airbus noted that Emirates, which was the launch customer of Airspace Link HBCplus, would now install the solution on a total of 110 aircraft, including 50 Airbus A350-900 and 60 Airbus A380s. The airline’s announcement about fitting its upcoming A350-900s with Airspace Link HBCplus came at the Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX) in June 2023.

In addition to Emirates, Air Algerie and Air India would also use the solution to provide internet to its passengers flying on their Airbus A330neo and Airbus A350-900s, respectively. All three airlines ordered the solution on the sidelines of the Dubai Airshow 2023.

According to the manufacturer, with the addition of Ethiopian Airlines also ordering 15 Airspace Link HBCplus shipsets during AIX in June, the order book for the solution now numbers 125 units. The Ethiopian carrier also chose to fit the terminal and radome on its Airbus A350-900s.

“For the HBCplus selections to date, Viasat is the chosen managed service provider (MSP) and Safran Passenger Innovations is Airbus’ supplier and integrator of the terminal and Thinkom’s Ka-band antenna hardware.”

Meanwhile, André Schneider, the Vice President of Cabin and Cargo Programme at Airbus, said that he was happy to see that Emirates “has reaffirmed its confidence by selecting the technology for its flagship A380 fleet.” Furthermore, Schneider pointed out that the plane maker, Viasat, and Safran Passenger Innovations are “thrilled that more airlines, now also including Air Algerie and Air India, have chosen to equip HBCplus across their Airbus fleets to keep their travellers connected with lightning-fast internet.”

“Seeing our valued customers committing to our reliable satellite connectivity model, while combining a flexible choice of network providers and seamless hardware integration, is a real testimony to our Airspace Link philosophy.”

Photo: Airbus

Avoiding interdependent hardware and software

Airbus launched the Airspace Link HBCplus solution during last year’s AIX conference, describing it as a “new flexible satellite connectivity solution that will be offered as an [Supplier Furnished Equipment (SFE) – ed. note] line-fit catalogue option and also for retrofit on all Airbus programmes.” Explaining the benefits of the new solution with the orders at the Dubai Airshow, the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) stated that this platform helps airlines avoid “interdependence of hardware with its accompanying software service,” meaning that airlines are free to choose their MSPs after their aircraft are equipped with the Airspace Link HBCplus.

Read more: In Conversation: The Future Of Inflight WiFi With Panasonic Avionics

When Airbus initially launched the service, the solution only utilized Ka-band services. In the future, the manufacturer anticipated that Airspace Link HBCplus would also use Ku-band services from certain MSPs. The launch service provider for the connectivity solution was Inmarsat.

Photo: M101Studio | Shutterstock

Currently, Emirates is underway its cabin retrofit program for the Airbus A380 and Boeing 777-300ER fleet. The first retrofitted double-decker entered service in January 2023, with a total of 67 A380 and 53 777-300ER aircraft slated to be equipped with the new cabin, which includes the airline’s premium economy offering. As of September 30, 10 Emirates A380s have been retrofitted with the new interiors.

Read more: Emirates Reaffirms The Airbus A380 Will Fly Until The 2040s With No Suitable Replacement