Qatar Airways has signed an agreement with Thales to equip its new Airbus A321 NX fleet with FlytEDGE inflight entertainment (IFE) systems. The airline says it is embarking on a ‘digital transformation journey that can only be delivered by FlytEDGE’, the world’s first Cloud-native IFEC platform. Qatar Airways is the first airline to announce the selection of FlytEDGE, which won a 2024 Crystal Cabin Award.

Qatar Airways is an existing partner of Thales, which is the IFE provider for its Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, and Airbus A350 and A380 aircraft. This new agreement, signed at APEX/IFSA Global Expo yesterday, expands the collaboration to the A321 NX fleet.

“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,” said Xia Cai, Qatar Airways, senior vice president product development, at the contract signing.

FlytEDGE utilises Cloud computing technologies and an open software platform to enable new capabilities such as access to streaming platforms, live personalisation, and gaming. The system enables the rapid integration of Qatar Airways’ portfolio of group brands, products, and other web-based applications. FlytEDGE is powered by the Onboard Data Center (ODC, which won a Crystal Cabin Award in 2023), with the industry’s first blade architecture, and 96TB of storage to enable onboard edge caching and more.

The FlytEDGE system features cinematic 4K QLED HDR seatback displays, with over one billion vibrant colours and two Bluetooth connections so passengers can pair their personal wireless devices. The system broadcasts the same user interface onboard for all devices, across phones, tablets and seatback screens. Passengers will also benefit from Thales’ Pulse power management systems (a 2022 Crystal Cabin Award winner), which delivers high-speed charging at each seat to any passenger device.

Yannick Assouad , executive vice-president at Thales Avionics said of the deal: “We are harnessing the power of technology to create personalised, 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.”