When it comes to inflight entertainment and connectivity, Croatia Airlines has long ‘kicked it old school’ by offering dropdown screens on board its narrowbody aircraft. But in a surprising revelation this week, the carrier announced it has tapped Panasonic Avionics’ Ku-band satellite-supported inflight connectivity for its new Airbus A220 fleet.
Zagreb-based Croatia Airlines, which expects to become an ‘all-A220’ operator, also said it will offer USB-A and USB-C power ports and tablet holders on board the new twinjets.
The first A220 is scheduled to arrive in June, with the Wi-Fi and in-seat power hardware already factory-fit. Croatia Airlines expects all 15 of its forthcoming new A220 aircraft to be delivered by 2027.
“The installation of the Ku-band antenna is more than just an upgrade; it’s a connection to Panasonic Avionics’ expansive global communications network. A network that boasts high-speed, high-bandwidth satellites that are strategically placed to meet the dynamic needs of airlines and their passengers,” Panasonic said in a statement on LinkedIn.
Under the deal, Croatia Airlines has selected Panasonic’s current Ku-band geostationary (GEO) satellite-based IFC solution, and not its new Ku-band multi-orbit solution which will be powered by both its GEO network and Eutelsat OneWeb Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite service. The former is buyer-furnished and linefit offerable with the airframer whilst the latter won’t be available until 2026, as part of Airbus’ HBCplus supplier furnished-IFC program.
Financial terms of the arrangement between Croatia Airlines and Panasonic have not been disclosed. Nor has Croatia Airlines disclosed if it will charge passengers to use the Wi-Fi.
Regardless, Croatia Airlines has reason to celebrate, noting this is the first time in the carrier’s 35-year history that it will introduce Internet connectivity on board. “This agreement with Panasonic Avionics aligns with our mission to enhance the inflight passenger experience and provide superior connectivity to our valued customers,” it said.
Every seat on the new A220 fleet will also feature USB-A and USB-C ports, along with tablet holders.
The announcement is welcome news for Croatia Airlines passengers, who are accustomed to a legacy dropdown IFE experience aboard the carrier’s current fleet of Airbus A320 family aircraft. These overhead screens are used to broadcast instructions during emergency situations and to promote destinations in Croatia.
In late 2022, when Croatia Airlines brought its A220 commitments to 15 of the type (a mixture of -300s and -100s), it said the twinjets would “replace previous generation aircraft in the company’s fleet, reducing operating costs as well as improving environmental efficiency and competitiveness while offering passengers unrivaled comfort throughout its fleet.”
This is in accordance with the carrier’s post-Covid strategy, which will see it operate a single-type fleet of A220s. Croatia Airlines is to be praised for enhancing the passenger experience as it implements its fleet renewal strategy, starting this spring.
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- Breeze Airways to go all-A220 for scheduled services by year-end
Featured image credited to Airbus
