CONNECTING ABOVE THE CLOUDS Qatar Airways is the first airline in the Middle East to select Gogo 2Ku for its inflight connectivity system

clouds Connecting above the

Qatar Airways is the first airline in the Middle East to select Gogo 2Ku for its inflight connectivity system

Qsuite’s movable panels allow passengers to transform their space into a fully connected area for work, dining and socializing at 40,000 feet

Qatar Airways is equipping a substantial portion of its fleet with 2Ku high-speed inflight connectivity by Gogo. Broadband connectivity and live TV, both from Chicago-based Gogo, will be installed on 70 aircraft, including the 787-9, 787-8 and A380 as part of a contract signed by Qatar Airways and Gogo in November. The 2Ku product is designed and developed to deliver a ground-like internet experience for passengers.

“Having access to the Internet, and being connected and available, is critical for passengers,” said Akbar Al Baker, Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, at the time of the announcement. “The demand for bandwidth will only increase and we are proud to be able to provide our customers with an excellent connectivity experience with Gogo 2Ku.”

In February 2017, Gogo 2Ku technology hit a performancehigh of 100 megabytes per second during a test flight, and since then the capability has been installed on more than 600 aircraft flying to more than 80 countries with a backlog of 1,400 aircraft. Other Gogo 2Ku partners include Air Canada, Air France, British Airways, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Japan Transocean Air, Delta Air Lines and Virgin Atlantic. “We are thrilled to partner with Qatar Airways to bring their guests a new inflight connectivity experience with 2Ku,” said Oakleigh Thorne, President and Chief Executive Officer of Gogo. “Qatar Airways continues to set the industry benchmark for customer experience, winning the

prestigious Skytrax award for World’s Best Airline in 2019 for a record fifth time. With 2Ku’s superior bandwidth and coverage, Gogo is proud to offer a premium connectivity service in keeping with Qatar Airways’ exacting standards.” The high-speed Wi-Fi launch will be coupled with live TV and connects to passenger devices and seatback screens. The first installation is scheduled for early 2020. The next-generation modem delivers peak antenna speeds of 70+ megabytes per second and is forward-compatible with future Ku satellites, including high-throughput satellites (HTS) and low earth orbit (LEO) satellites. The Gogo 2Ku antenna offers superior performance, including areas located around the Equator. With gate-to-gate availability and twice the spectral efficiency of conventional aero antennas, passengers can stay connected for the entire journey with more bandwidth at a lesser cost. The 2Ku antenna employs a symmetrical, phased-array design: a set of two antennas that transmit and receive in any direction without tilting or vertical motion. This design uses significantly fewer moving parts with no stepper motors, belts, pulleys or gears needed to interact with the dual apertures. The result is a reliable design with fewer potential breakdowns. The low-profile form factor of the 2Ku antenna rises four inches above the aircraft versus the eight-to-12-inch tall design of its gimballed counterpart opting for a more aesthetically discreet radome that passes bird-strike test protocols and reduces overall drag and fuel burn. This lessens drag that contributes to the aircraft’s payload and range. And, less fuel burn can generate up to $25,000 in annual fuel savings per aircraft. With a dual phased array antenna, the 2Ku antenna aperture is four times the surface area of conventional aero antennas, effectively doubling spectral efficiency and delivering economical bandwidth capacity. The 2Ku dual antenna and innovative modem are equipped to deliver peak speeds of 200+ megabytes per second to the cabin, able to keep pace with future upgraded satellites. PAX Tech caught up with Qatar Airways’ Ms. Salam Al Shawa, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Corporate Communications, in January. Al Shawa stressed that the connectivity strategy for Qatar Airways goes far beyond the provision of simply offering Wi-Fi to passengers onboard. Oryx One, Qatar Airways’ inflight entertainment system, offers passengers up to 4,000 entertainment options from the latest blockbuster movies, TV box sets, music and games. Live TV is also an important aspect of Qatar’s connectivity strategy. The TV channel selections, which are currently being finalized, will appeal to all audiences and inflight connectivity will be available to all cabin classes. Throughout last year, 32 new aircraft were delivered to Qatar’s Doha headquarters, including its 250th last March, an A350-900. As of the end of the year, combined passenger, cargo and Qatar Executive fleet totaled 259 aircraft.

In January 2019, Qatar Airways announced that it had switched an order for 10 A321neos to A321LRs, a longer-range variant that will allow the airline to connect with new growing markets from the country’s capital. It also added a number of new destinations to its network including Langkawi, Malaysia and Gaborone, Botswana, with plans to add Luanda, Angola and Osaka, Japan this year.

Qatar Airways established its passenger experience reputation with several firsts. The airline continues to roll out its Qsuite, the industry’s first-ever double bed in Business Class, as well as privacy panels that stow away so passengers in adjoining seats can create their own private room. It is the first Gulf carrier to join global airline alliance oneworld, giving its passengers access to benefits at more than 1,000 airports in 160 countries with 14,250 daily departures.

Qatar Airways’ inflight entertainment system offers passengers up to 4,000 options