Singapore Airlines (SIA) has signed a major new agreement to equip 43 of its new aircraft with state-of-the-art in-flight entertainment (IFE) systems.
The deal, which is worth nearly US$400 million at list prices, will see Panasonic supply its eX3 IFE systems for 20 Airbus A350s, 15 A330-300s and eight Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, deliveries of which are due to begin next year.
SIA will become the first airline to offer the eX3 system on the A350, as well as the first to offer Panasonic’s Global Communications Suite on the new Airbus model, providing broadband internet services and live television.
“SIA has always been a leader in providing the best in-flight entertainment to our customers but we need to constantly innovate to stay ahead of the competition. The contract with Panasonic Avionics will help us do just that,” said SIA’s Senior Vice President of Product & Services, Tan Pee Teck.
The eX3 is Panasonic’s latest IFE system, offering a broad selection of movies, TV programmes and games, plus e-Library containing newspapers and magazines and social networking functions, all accessible through a touch-screen graphical user interface.
Ahead of the introduction of the new systems, SIA is already planning upgrades to its existing IFE systems.
The new contract forms part of a major investment programme to enhance the airline’s IFE and connectivity offerings. Last week SIA unveiled a separate US$50 million investment to equip its aircraft with in-flight mobile and internet connectivity.
