Air Belgium’s shiny new A330neos will be equipped with inflight entertainment and connectivity (IFEC) from Panasonic Avionics, the company revealed this week. The new generation widebodies are set to replace Air Belgium’s inefficient A340 quadjets, performing long-haul operations to the Caribbean and Mauritius.

WiFi and IFC on the A330neos

Air Belgium’s brand new A330neo has been delivered with state-of-the-art inflight connectivity and entertainment, courtesy of Panasonic Avionics. The new agreement covers both A330-900s that are set to arrive at the airline, and will include high-speed WiFi, seatback screens, and mobile connectivity.

Ken Sain, Chief Executive Officer of Panasonic Avionics, said,

“We are delighted to be working with Air Belgium to enhance the passenger experience on their new fleet. By tailoring the way we offer our award-winning solutions to meet the individual needs of carriers, we are able to create a product portfolio that can fit every airline’s business model.

“Our in-flight entertainment and connectivity solutions will help Air Belgium strengthen their long-haul operations and drive customer satisfaction as they look to grow in the years ahead.”

For IFE, the A330neos will be fitted out with Panasonic’s full HD seatback screens, with built-in handsets, touchscreen displays, and personalized interfaces. On the connectivity side, passengers will be able to connect to inflight WiFi via Panasonic’s high bandwidth satellites. The airline has also added mobile connectivity for texting, and its popular Arc inflight moving map platform.

Niky Terzakis, Chief Executive Officer at Air Belgium, commented on the partnership, saying,

“We are thrilled to be joining forces with Panasonic Avionics to continue to enrich and elevate our onboard experience. Their flexibility and innovative approach in delivering IFE and connectivity perfectly complements our internal resources and strategy.”

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Air Belgium’s A330neo

Air Belgium is celebrating the addition of the A330-900 to its fleet, having taken delivery of its first earlier this month. OO-ABG was originally intended to go to Air Berlin, but the airline went out of business before the aircraft was delivered. Indeed, Airbus almost sold it on to Rwandair, even applying the livery before the carrier withdrew from the deal.

Now, the A330 has received its gleaming coat of Air Belgium paint, and has arrived in Brussels to begin service. Since delivery, according to data from RadarBox.com, the aircraft has already performed one rotation to Port Louis in Mauritius, heading out as KF2301 on October 15^th, and returning as KF2302 on the 16^th.

That trip takes around 11 hours and 10 minutes in either direction. According to scheduling data from Cirium, the A330neo will continue operating between BRU and MRU twice a week, on Tuesdays and Fridays, going forward. With the arrival of the second A330-900, slated to take place in December, Air Belgium will replace its A340 on the route from BRU to Punta Cana and Curacao.

There is a stay of execution for the A340, however. With only two A330-900s incoming, at least one of the quadjets will stay on the tag flight between Brussels Charleroi and Fort-de-France (Martinique) / Willemstad (Curacao). With most of its flights exceeding nine hours in duration, passengers will be glad of a consistent inflight entertainment and WiFi product onboard its new aircraft.

 

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