Qatar Airways, voted the World’s Best Airline by Skytrax in 2024, and Thales have signed an agreement to equip Qatar Airways’ new A321 NX fleet with FlytEDGE, Thales’ Crystal Cabin® award-winning Inflight Entertainment (IFE) system.

Qatar Airways is embarking on a digital transformation journey that can only be delivered by FlytEDGE; the world’s first cloud-native IFEC platform, bringing a new level of personalization and passenger entertainment. Qatar Airways is the first airline to announce their selection of FlytEDGE.

Over the years, Qatar Airways has partnered with Thales as its IFE provider to equip their Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, A350 and A380 aircraft. This new agreement expands the collaboration to the A321 NX fleet, building on the long-standing relationship between the two companies and their shared commitment to deliver a superior passenger experience.

FlytEDGE will elevate the entertainment experience to new heights utilizing cloud computing technologies, an open software platform, and unparalleled performance, enabling cutting-edge capabilities such as access to streaming platforms, live personalization, and gaming.

The system enables the rapid integration of Qatar Airways’ vast portfolio of group brands, products, and other web-based applications. Thales’ FlytEDGE is powered by the award-winning Onboard Data Center (ODC) with the industry’s first blade architecture and 96TB of storage to enable onboard edge caching and much more.

Thales’ FlytEDGE solution features the best consumer technologies on the market. The system boasts cinematic 4K QLED HDR seatback displays to immerse passengers with over 1 billion vibrant colors and two Bluetooth® connections so passengers can pair their personal wireless devices. The system broadcasts the same user interface onboard for all devices- phones, tablets and seatback screens. With Thales’ Crystal Cabin® award-winning Pulse power management solution delivering high-speed charging at each seat to any passenger device, everyone arrives at their destination recharged, entertained, and relaxed.

Qatar Airways Senior Vice President Product Development, Xia Cai said: “At Qatar Airways, we continue to enhance our world-leading passenger experience, and providing passengers with top-quality inflight entertainment forms a key part of this approach. As our digital transformation journey evolves, we are thrilled to partner with Thales to introduce FlytEDGE onto our entertainment platform. We are confident passengers on our A321 NX fleet will have access to the most innovative consumer technology in the skies.”

Thales Avionics, Executive Vice-President, Yannick Assouad said: “At Thales, we believe that the future of inflight entertainment is limitless. We are harnessing the power of technology to create personalized, interactive, and unforgettable experiences that redefine what it means to travel. Our partnership with Qatar Airways is growing stronger. Together, we’re bringing FlytEDGE’s advanced capabilities to their A321 NX fleet, ensuring passengers have unforgettable journeys.”

About Thales 

Thales (Euronext Paris: HO) is a global leader in advanced technologies within three domains: Defence & Security, Aeronautics & Space, and Digital Identity & Security. It develops products and solutions that help make the world safer, greener and more inclusive.

The Group invests close to €4 billion a year in Research & Development, particularly in key areas such as quantum technologies, Edge computing, 6G and cybersecurity.

Thales has 81,000* employees in 68 countries. In 2023, the Group generated sales of €18.4 billion.

*These figures exclude the ground transportation business, which is being divested

Featured image credited to Fintan Horan-Stear