Emirates To Equip 50 Airbus A350s With HBCplus Agnostic Satcom Connectivity Solution

Emirates will furnish 50 of its recent Airbus A350s with the manufacturer’s HBC satellite connectivity tech. HBC is an ‘agnostic’ satcom service, allowing airlines to link as much as multiple providers and frequencies.

Emirates to turn into HBCplus launch customer

On the Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX) held this week, the Middle Eastern carrier revealed it could be the primary airline to make use of Airbus’ HBCsatcom service once its recent A350-900s begin arriving next yr. Airbus’ end-to-end solution hopes to disrupt the inflight connectivity established order by offering airlines unrivaled flexibility in entertainment and provider selection.

Photo: Inmarsat

Andre Schneider, Airbus VP Cabin and Cargo Programme, said,

Ultimately yr’s AIX, Airbus – together with partners Inmarsat and Safran Passenger Innovations (SPI) – announced ‘Airspace Link HBCas a state-of-the-art satcom solution that “works seamlessly and flexibly with the airline’s selection of satellite network provider.” Since then, it has made some key advances, including adding a second Managed Service Provider (MSP) and a planned incorporation of ESA (Electronically Steered Antenna) technology for simultaneous multi-beam operation.

Robust and reliable in-flight connectivity

An agnostic satcom system is one that enables connectivity to multiple satellite providers or network types, reasonably than being restricted to a single source. This brings many essential advantages, including a more robust system with fewer dropouts, wider coverage areas and suppleness in provider selection.

Photo: Airbus

HBC will initially include Ka-band services before a planned extension to Ku-band services slated for next yr, with Airbus stating it’s in “advanced discussions” with Intelsat and Panasonic. The system shall be a Supplier Furnished Equipment (SFE) catalogue option and may either be line-fitted or retrofitted – loads of airlines have already expressed interest, with Airbus stating “.”

First A350s on target for 2024

Emirates expects the primary of its 50 A350s to reach in August 2024, greater than a yr later than initial projections. The airline picked Inmarsat to supply inflight WiFi on its A350 fleet via Inmarsat’s Global Xpress (GX) satellite network, while inflight entertainment will come from Thales’ AVANT Up system.

Adel Al Redha, Emirates’ Chief Operating Officer, commented,

In a gathering attended by Easy Flying this week, Emirates CEO Sir Tim Clark revealed the carrier is seeking to place an order for as much as 150 aircraft within the foreseeable future, which could include bolstering its A350 order.

Do you think that Airbus’ Airspace Link HBC will prove a game-changer in in-flight connectivity? How excited are you concerning the arrival of Emirates’ A350s? Tell us within the comments.