• Air India will equip 51 of its aircraft with Thales’ AVANT Up In-Flight Entertainment (IFE) system. This includes:
• Forty existing aircraft (777 and 787) retrofit and eleven new aircraft (787 and A350) linefit all to be equipped with the latest Thales AVANT Up technologies.
• AVANT Up features Optiq QLED smart displays offering the best inflight entertainment solution for aviation with cinematic 4K HDR picture quality and in-screen USB-A and USB-C high-speed charging.
• Thales is proud to partner with Air India to transform the inflight passenger experience.

Air India, India’s leading global airline with the largest international network in the country and the most non-stop routes connecting India with global destinations, has selected Thales’ AVANT Up inflight entertainment (IFE) solution. With Thales’ AVANT Up, Air India will deliver engaging and memorable guest experiences.

Thales will upgrade and retrofit Air India’s current fleet of 40 Boeing 777’s and 787’s with its state-of-the-art AVANT Up system, starting in 2024 and continuing through 2025. Additionally, Thales will install AVANT Up IFE on Air India’s 11 new Airbus and Boeing aircraft with deliveries to commence in 2025. Thales is proud to build on the enduring relationship with Air India to support the airline’s transformation in redefining the passenger entertainment experience.

AVANT Up offers tremendous possibilities for integrating a wide range of services and applications, such as an interactive 3D map and immersive route-based programming. Thales’ Select User Interface (UI) enhances passenger engagement enabling guests to enjoy the most intuitive user experience to navigate across the rich catalog of entertainment.

Thales’ AVANT Up features Optiq, 4K QLED HDR displays designed to provide the best viewing experience in the air with unrivalled picture quality. Optiq features in-screen USB-A and USB-C high speed charging ports and is the only display with two Bluetooth connections and built-in Wi-Fi. With Optiq passengers can pair their wireless headphone or other devices to the display while also charging their phones and laptops so they can arrive at their destination recharged and relaxed.

“At Thales, we are very proud to deepen our long standing partnership with Air India. ​ We are committed to support the airline’s transformation by delivering state-of-the-art AVANT Up technologies that transcend the ordinary to offer Air India’s customers with world-class inflight experiences celebrating the vibrant culture and colours of India.” Yannick Assouad, Executive Vice-President Avionics, Thales

“India is the fastest growing aviation market in the world, with huge potential for further growth. This sets the stage for airlines to elevate overall flying experience of passengers. We are pleased to support Air India in achieving the ambition of providing superior customer experience with our advanced AVANT Up inflight entertainment.” Ashish Saraf, VP and Country Director for India, Thales.

“Air India is committed to providing a world-class travel experience to its passengers. Partnering with Thales for its top-of-the-class AVANT Up inflight entertainment systems is a step in the direction of our transformation programme. This latest inflight entertainment technology will allow us to stay at the forefront of aviation technology and will help us provide our passengers with a unique onboard entertainment system.” Rajesh Dogra, Chief Customer Experience Officer, Air India.

About Thales in India

Present in India since 1953, Thales is headquartered in Noida and has other operational offices and sites spread across Delhi, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Mumbai, among others. Over 2,000 employees are working with Thales and its joint ventures in India. Since the beginning, Thales has been playing an essential role in India’s growth story by sharing its technologies and expertise in Defence, Transport, Aerospace and Digital Identity and Security markets. Thales has two engineering competence centres in India – one in Noida focused on digital identity and security business, while the one in Bengaluru focuses on hardware, software and systems engineering capabilities for both the civil and defence sectors, serving global needs.