Virgin Atlantic Selects Viasat for In-Flight Connectivity on its New Airbus A330-900 Fleet
Viasat (NASDAQ: VSAT) has been chosen by Virgin Atlantic to provide its in-flight connectivity (IFC) solution for 16 new Airbus A330-900 aircraft. The IFC system supports high-quality video streaming and browsing on multiple devices. The equipment will be factory-installed at Airbus' Toulouse site, ensuring internet service upon delivery. Viasat's capacity and adaptable satellite network will enable robust connections in high-demand areas. This partnership aims to enhance the in-flight experience for passengers traveling between the Americas and the UK, with services expected to launch in late 2022.
- Selected by Virgin Atlantic for IFC on 16 Airbus A330-900s
- Factory-installed equipment ensures immediate service availability upon delivery
- Enhanced connectivity capabilities for high-demand passenger usage
- Dependence on successful satellite network deployment for promised connectivity
- Possible risks related to satellite performance and launch operations
CARLSBAD, Calif. , July 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Viasat Inc. (NASDAQ: VSAT), a global communications company, today announced Virgin Atlantic has selected Viasat's industry-leading in-flight connectivity (IFC) solution for its new Airbus A330-900 aircraft. Viasat's IFC system can enable high quality, full video streaming, browsing, messaging, social media scrolling and more to every connected device on the aircraft, operating with a level of connectivity made possible through the Company's robust satellite network capacity.
The Viasat IFC equipment will be factory-installed ("linefit") on the 16 new Virgin Atlantic Airbus A330-900s at the Airbus Center of Excellence production site in Toulouse, France, ensuring in-flight internet service is available on each aircraft upon delivery. Virgin Atlantic's fleet of Airbus A330-900s is scheduled to enter service with intercontinental flights between the Americas and the United Kingdom in the second half of this year.
Viasat's ability to deliver an exceptional internet experience on Virgin Atlantic's new fleet will be enabled, in part, by two factors: industry-leading capacity across Viasat's planned global satellite network and the Company's ability to leverage that capacity efficiently. The critical challenge to great connectivity in aviation is that passenger demand is exponentially higher in the most heavily concentrated geographical areas, such as large airport hub cities (London and New York, for example) and busy flight corridors. The adaptability of Viasat's satellite network is designed to meet this demand density challenge with ample capacity, which is critical to address the continually rising data requirements of the most bandwidth intensive applications of the internet.
Don Buchman, Viasat's vice president and general manager, Commercial Aviation, added, "We're thrilled that Virgin Atlantic – an airline with innovation and customer service at its core -- has chosen Viasat as its IFC partner on its new Airbus aircraft. We have a strong history of delivering quality IFC on long-haul flights and look forward to bringing our technology and service capabilities to Virgin Atlantic and its customers."
How connectivity will work onboard Virgin Atlantic's Airbus A330-900s
Fast in-flight internet connections are made possible by connecting passenger devices directly to Viasat's network of owned and partner Ka-band satellites. Viasat's onboard equipment on Virgin Atlantic's new aircraft is designed to be forward-compatible with the Company's next-generation satellite constellation, ViaSat-3, offering Virgin Atlantic additional capacity and expanded global coverage.
More information on Viasat's commercial aviation solutions can be found here.
About Viasat
Viasat is a global communications company that believes everyone and everything in the world can be connected. For 35 years, Viasat has helped shape how consumers, businesses, governments and militaries around the world communicate. Today, the Company is developing the ultimate global communications network to power high-quality, secure, affordable, fast connections to impact people's lives anywhere they are—on the ground, in the air or at sea. To learn more about Viasat, visit: www.viasat.com, go to Viasat's Corporate Blog, or follow the Company on social media at: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter or YouTube.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to the safe harbors created under the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements include among others, statements related to Viasat and Virgin Atlantic's relationship; the introduction of Viasat's IFC service on Virgin Atlantic's Airbus A330-900 aircraft;; the availability, capabilities and performance of the Viasat in-flight internet equipment; the number of aircraft, location of service, and the timing to connect the Virgin Atlantic fleet; the ability to direct capacity to demand; the forward compatibility of Viasat's IFC system; the satellites used to provide the service, and the expected global capacity gains that will be provided by future Viasat satellites. Readers are cautioned that actual results could differ materially and adversely from those expressed in any forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ include: our ability to successfully implement our business plan for our broadband services on our anticipated timeline or at all; risks associated with the construction, launch and operation of the satellite(s) used to supply these services, including the effect of any anomaly, operational failure or degradation in satellite performance; contractual problems; product defects; manufacturing issues or delays; regulatory issues; changes in relationships with, or the financial condition of, key suppliers; technologies not being developed according to anticipated schedules, or that do not perform according to expectations; and other factors affecting the aviation sector generally. In addition, please refer to the risk factors contained in Viasat's SEC filings available at www.sec.gov, including Viasat's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date on which they are made. Viasat undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements for any reason.
Copyright © 2022 Viasat, Inc. All rights reserved. Viasat, the Viasat logo and the Viasat signal are registered trademarks of Viasat, Inc. All other product or company names mentioned are used for identification purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective owners.
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SOURCE Viasat, Inc.
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