Icelandair taps Viasat high-capacity Ka-band IFC for A321LR twinjets

Icelandair has selected Viasat’s high-capacity Ka-band satellite-supported inflight connectivity solution for its new leased Airbus A321LR twinjets which will fly between Iceland and Europe, and on transatlantic routes.

A321LR deliveries — with the IFC kit already installed — are slated to begin in the fourth quarter, before Icelandair takes deliveries of its own extra-long range A321XLRs. The carrier already offers Viasat IFC on its Boeing 737 MAX fleet.

“This announcement refers to the Airbus A321LR aircraft Icelandair has on lease. These will be Icelandair’s first Airbus aircraft,” a Viasat spokesperson tells Runway Girl Network, further confirming:

The Viasat-equipped Icelandair aircraft will connect to Viasat’s high-capacity satellite network of owned and partner satellites. Over Europe, this network includes the KA-SAT satellite and others.

The solution is being linefitted to the A321LR aircraft by Airbus at the factory. Viasat, which operates a network of Ka-band geostationary (GEO) satellites, among other assets, boasts that it uses high throughput satellite capacity and the ability to flex that capacity “to meet demand where it peaks and is most concentrated”.

Icelandair is certainly pleased to expand the streaming class of IFC for its passengers. “By expanding our high-speed streaming Wi-Fi offering to the new aircraft, we are doubling down on the state-of-the-art connectivity that has become a highly sought-after element of the Icelandair passenger experience,” says Helga Huld Bjarnadóttir, director product and service management, Icelandair.

“Viasat has proven to be an innovative and trusted partner for how we approach the future of Wi-Fi at Icelandair, and we look forward to continuing this into the future.”

Don Buchman, VP and GM, Commercial Aviation at Viasat notes that the firm has for several years enjoyed a great partnership with Icelandair while servicing its MAX fleet. “We understand the patterns of Icelandair’s operation and passenger demand for in-flight Wi-Fi, and we are excited to extend this experience and trust to include fast and resilient connectivity on the new Airbus aircraft,” he says.

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Featured image: Icelandair X Viasat