China Southern Airlines has chosen SES to serve as its managed service provider (MSP) to power Ka-band satellite-supported broadband inflight connectivity on 30 Airbus A350-900 widebodies which are slated to receive Airbus’ supplier-furnished HBCplus IFC solution.

Under China Southern’s agreement with Airbus, the airframer will linefit the HBCplus hardware to 10 new A350-900s and retrofit the kit to 20 in-service A350-900s.

“China Southern selected SES as Managed Service Provider which cooperates with AeroSat Link Technology Co., Ltd (ASL) to complete network coverage. Thanks to this partnership, Chinese airlines will benefit from seamless inflight connectivity in China and beyond,” Airbus tells Runway Girl Network.

The airline currently operates 20 A350-900s. But in April, during the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg, it revealed plans to introduce “10 new A350-900 widebody aircraft” as part of a wider announcement about the cabin interiors it will bring to the new -900s and indeed its forthcoming new A321NX narrowbodies.

Now the long-time customer of Panasonic’s Ku-band IFC system is defining its connectivity strategy for the A350s going forward.

SES is a natural choice of MSP for China Southern. That’s because the Chinese government favors homegrown technology and, as noted by Airbus, SES has already done the legwork on that front, announcing its partnership with China Satcom subsidiary AeroSat Link last year as part of its Open Orbits interoperable Ka-band platform.

“With HBCplus equipped,” China Southern passengers “will enjoy high-speed Internet in the air, while it also enables real-time nose-to-tail connectivity, allowing constant communication between the cockpit and ground staff to improve operational efficiency,” Airbus says.

The HBCplus program is disruptive and groundbreaking in that it uncouples the inflight connectivity hardware from the connectivity service and enables airlines to switch MSPs without changing the hardware, whilst Airbus provides support and warranties.

In the Ka-band, Airbus’ chosen terminal hardware is ThinKom Solutions Ka2517 VICTS antenna, described by Airbus as a “state-of-the-art platform that supports multi-orbit connectivity including Geostationary (GEO), Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) and Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite networks.” The antenna is integrated by Airbus’ HBCplus terminal partner Safran Passenger Innovations (SPI).

An existing IFE supplier to China Southern, SPI’s RAVE Ultra IFE system has also been selected by the airline for nose-to-tail equipage on the new A350s and A321NXs.

“We are deeply honored that China Southern Airlines officially announced at AIX 2025 its decision to equip its new A350-900 and A321NX aircraft with the RAVE Ultra IFE system from Safran Passenger Innovations,” Rémi Paul, the CEO and country general delegate for Safran in China said on LinkedIn in April, whilst sharing a photo of the hand-shake on the French aerospace manufacturer’s stand (with the HBCplus terminal hardware also in the picture.)

Broadband connectivity is not the only passenger-pleasing changes in store for passengers aboard China Southern’s new A350s. As highlighted in Hamburg, China Southern’s new A350s will feature 28 private business class suites based on Thompson Aero Seating’s popular Vantage XL+ platform — including four front-row suites with privacy partitions, customizable companion seating, and 32″ RAVE Ultra entertainment screens. Design house tangerine is developing the CMF (color, materials and finish).

Economy class seats will be provided by RECARO, based on the seatmaker’s R3 platform with six-way headrests. RAVE Ultra IFE screens in economy will be sized 13.3 inches.

Related Articles: 

• SES looks to bolster Open Orbits for airlines
• Safran still eyeing sale of some ex-Zodiac work pending recovery
• SES completes Intelsat buy with FCC blessing
• RAVE new world: Safran pairs PED casting with edge caching for IFE
• Airbus adds Amazon, confirms Hughes, removes Viasat GX from HBCplus

Featured image credited to Airbus/P.MASCLET/Master films