Korean Air will add inflight internet service to its fleet of 787s. The carrier announced a deal with Viasat to bring an additional 40 aircraft online over the next four years. The type had been tipped for IFC installation as far back as 2019, but only now is it finally happening.
Our focus on enhancing passenger experience is crucial to our business – and adding more connectivity to our fleet will be a key step forward in achieving this.
– Kenneth Chang, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at Korean Air
The announcement extends Korean’s partnership with Viasat, which is also under contract to deliver inflight Wi-Fi services to the airline’s A321neo fleet. Unlike the A321neos and 737 MAX fleet (with connectivity powered by Panasonic Avionics), Korean’s 787s operate a mix of regional and long-haul routes. Adding connectivity to the 787s comes as the carrier also plans a new business class “mini-suite” to be installed on the –10 portion of the fleet.
The companies did not disclose whether the 787s will fly with hardware for the GX constellation previously operated by Inmarsat (which is being installed on the A321neo fleet) or the ViaSat-3 systems. While the company eventually expects on-board hardware will roam seamlessly between the two satellite technologies a number of hurdles remain in that effort. Similarly, details on timing for retrofit of the existing fleet remain unclear.
A query to Viasat for clarification remains pending as of publication time.
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