Wednesday, August 21, 2024 Azul, Brazil’s largest airline in terms of departures and destinations served, and Viasat Inc. a global pioneer in satellite communications, have revealed plans to outfit seven Airbus A330-900neo aircraft in Azul’s fleet with Viasat’s reliable Ka-band in-flight connectivity solution. The first of these aircraft is set to begin service next year.
Mirroring the in-flight Wi-Fi experience available on Azul’s other aircraft equipped with Viasat technology, passengers aboard the new Airbus A330-900neos will have access to internet connectivity throughout the entire flight. Travelers can purchase packages that support streaming audio and video, web browsing, and messaging services. “Part of what differentiates Azul in the Brazilian market is the best-in-class connectivity experience we offer on select aircraft,” said Jason Ward, Azul’s Chief People and Customer Officer.
“From Brazilians’ thirst for real time sports scores to their desire to stay connected to loved ones on the ground while flying, our hypothesis that this feature would be critical to customer satisfaction is playing out in the market. We look forward to continuing to work closely with Viasat as we continue to build on our current in-flight Wi-Fi experience in the future.” “After several successful years of serving Azul passengers in Brazil, we are excited to work with Azul to expand our connectivity onboard even more aircraft,” said Don Buchman, VP and GM, Commercial Aviation at Viasat.
“It remains Viasat’s mission to continue delivering high quality and consistent in-flight Wi-Fi, so that passengers can enjoy online activities while in the air as they do on the ground, even as the demand for data grows and passenger expectations accelerate rapidly.” Azul is not only expanding its fleet equipped with Wi-Fi capabilities but also collaborating with Viasat to elevate the passenger Wi-Fi experience. They are introducing ad-supported streaming sessions through the Viasat Advertising platform, making Azul the newest airline to integrate this innovative solution.
Viasat is dedicated to serving the aviation sector by combining high-throughput satellite capacity with adaptable technology. This approach ensures consistent and reliable service in areas with the highest demand, including Brazil’s busiest airports and across the routes of Azul’s Airbus A330neos. This partnership builds on a collaboration that began in 2021, bringing in-flight connectivity to Brazil.
Azul was a trailblazer in South America, being the first airline to select Viasat’s in-flight internet service and offering complimentary Wi-Fi to its passengers by leveraging Viasat’s Ka-band network, which includes capacity from the SGDC-1 satellite, owned by Telebras..
