Inmarsat has partnered with Indonesian low-cost airline Citilink to provide in-flight connectivity on board all 50 of its Airbus A320 fleet.
Inmarsat signed a contract last week with Mahata Aero Teknologi (MAT), an Indonesian wireless technology provider, to deploy Inmarsat’s GX Aviation inflight broadband solution on Citilink’s Airbus A320 fleet. Inmarsat will also partner with Lufthansa Systems and Lufthansa Technik to implement Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) connectivity for passengers across the Citilink fleet.
GX Aviation’s global high-speed inflight internet service is delivered through a wholly-owned and operated network of High-Throughput Satellites (HTS). It allows passengers to browse the internet, stream videos, check social media and more during flights.
In recent months, Lufthansa Systems and Lufthansa Technik signed a Memorandum of Understanding with MAT, the first Indonesian tech company to provide inflight wifi services, to meet the requirements of Citilink. Installations onboard the first Citilink aircraft are expected to begin later this year.
“As a modern, digitally-focused airline, it’s imperative that we offer our passengers a world-class inflight wifi service,” said Juliandra Nurtjahjo, President and CEO of Citilink. “We are confident that the combined strengths of Inmarsat, MAT, Lufthansa Systems and Lufthansa Technik will ensure we deliver gold-standard broadband onboard all of our flights.”
“Together with our partners MAT, Lufthansa Systems and Lufthansa Technik, we look forward to delivering an outstanding connectivity service to Citilink and its passengers,” said Philip Balaam, President of Inmarsat Aviation. “Citilink’s adoption of GX Aviation, and signing of this contract mere months after the MoU, are testament to both the importance of inflight connectivity to passengers today and Citilink’s confidence in our solution. This partnership also represents a significant milestone for Inmarsat in one of our priority regional markets.”
