Thai Airways will add in-flight internet to its A321neo and 777 aircraft from 2025. The airline selected NEO Space Group (NSG) as its provider, making it the first publicly announced customer for the IFC upstart and its Skywaves solution.
Our partnership with NSG allows us to vastly improve our in-flight connectivity and offer our passengers new levels of convenience, entertainment and comfort. This initiative marks an important step in our journey to redefine passenger expectations. – Mr. Wirush Theparak, Head of Customer Experience and Product, THAI Airways
NSG’s promises internet speeds of up to 200 Mbps on board. Thai also announced that the service will be free for members of the Royal Orchid Plus frequent flyer program and for premium cabin passengers.
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The A321neo aircraft will be assembled as part of the Airbus HBCplus program, delivered by the aircraft with the hardware installed. The existing 777 fleet will be modified to support the connectivity solution. In both cases, the Safran Passenger Innovations (SPI) terminal, equipped with the ThinKom Ka2517 antenna, will be installed on board.
The airline has signed a contract through lessor AerCap for ten A321neo aircraft, which are expected to be delivered by the end of 2024. It currently operates 22 777s.
Also Turkish airlines
Turkish Airlines is also joining the NSG party, with its new A350-1000 fleet expected to operate the service as a line-fit option from 2026. The airline added 15 of this type to its order book with Airbus at the end of 2023.
Although not explicitly stated in this press release, Turkish previously teased a transition to free onboard Wi-Fi for all passengers, starting around the time these planes will be delivered.
Coverage improvement
NSG’s internal satellite capacity extends from the west coast of India to North Africa and most of Europe. That’s just a small portion of the footprint where the equipped fleet will fly. But NSG still expects to be able to serve the entire Thai and Turkish route network, thanks to the capacity provided through the SES Open Orbits network. Open Orbits offers multi-orbit satellite capacity (today GEO and MEO) with global coverage, powered by multiple satellite operator partners. Aircraft can ‘roam’ between satellite operators participating in Open Orbits, with a single point of contact for network management and billing.
Because the Thai A321neo and the Turkish A350s are HBCplus deals, SES will technically be Airbus’ prime contractor. However, the company made it clear this summer that it expects other providers to handle the end-user relationship with airlines.
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SES highlights its ability to provide services in many countries where access can be more difficult to secure, thanks to existing relationships between satellite operators and regulators. For Thai Airways, this should – ultimately – mean removing the disclaimers around expected service disruptions when flying over certain countries, including China, India and Vietnam.
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“We are excited to support Thai Airways in improving the passenger experience with reliable, high-speed internet,” said Martjin Blanken, CEO of NSG. “This partnership marks not only the airline’s revival, but also its forward-thinking vision, and we are proud to play a role in shaping its future.”
NSG previously placed orders from airlines in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. This deal covers Europe and Asia, but an additional announcement from airlines in the Middle East is expected.
Fully integrated solution
The Skywaves solution is a fully integrated offering from NSG, developed in collaboration with Display Interactive. It enables NSG to deliver a turnkey service, including a digital experience tailored to the airline’s needs or a managed capacity tie-in, where the airline handles the portal and other passenger-facing elements itself.
Read more: SES Open Orbits brings together multi-constellation, multi-orbit Ka-band connectivity on a global scale
NSG’s VP Neale Faulkner is excited about this flexibility, noting: “We don’t define the passenger proposition, what services they can use and what they can’t use. That passenger proposal that can stay with the airline. We support and advise them, but that remains with the airline.”
In addition to Display Interactive, NSG is working with Safran Passenger Innovations (and using ThinKom’s Ka2517 antenna), Eclipse and others to provide multiple hardware options for fleet integration and deployment flexibility.
NSG is a company owned by PIF and backed by the Saudi government. It is part of the country’s Vision 2030 plan, which aims to strengthen NSG’s position as a key player in the global satellite services sector while supporting the advancement of the region’s aviation sector through cutting-edge technology.
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