Panasonic Avionics sees Astrova Curve debuting in first class

Years after the initial Covid shut-down period first began, first-class travel is seeing an impressive resurgence, as some of the world’s top-tier commercial airlines double down on offering opulent private suites — whilst others take the “business-plus” route. Airbus is even getting in on the action, having designed an ultra-luxe center module for first class on the A350-1000, featuring a master suite, a private lavatory and a bar; the concept has been shortlisted for a 2026 Crystal Cabin Award.

Against the backdrop of this premium travel surge, Panasonic Avionics’ curved, ultra-wide OLED inflight entertainment screen, known as Astrova Curve, is sparking the imagination of airline management teams who want to ‘wow’ passengers seated in the most premium real estate on board. Indeed, the IFE and connectivity giant reckons that Astrova Curve will likely debut in first-class cabins.

Based on Panasonic’s next-gen Astrova inflight entertainment architecture and boasting a 21 by 9 aspect ratio, Astrova Curve — and its promise of a deeply immersive IFE and engagement experience — “is proving to be extremely popular,” Panasonic Avionics vice president of product & portfolio management Andrew Masson tells RGN of the system, which is available in multiple sizes. “Everyone loves it as a concept and principle, but for now they’re focusing more on first class.”

That’s understandable. After all, first class serves as the flagship product for world-class operators. But there are some near-term challenges to surmount. “First class is starting to re-emerge, and there’s a backlog on first class as there’s only really two companies supporting. Or you have to go to a VIP completions center. So, it’s taking a while to get onto the airplane,” Masson confides.

Yet, when Astrova Curve does debut in revenue service, it’s “going to be mind-blowing,” the Panasonic executive enthuses. “There are a couple of airlines who are begging to be first in the market, and when they do, they’re going to steal that market with the most engaging first-class cabin,” he suggests, adding:

When you see Curve compared to traditional IFE monitors, it’s so encapsulating that it just literally redefines your perception of how a premium cabin will work.

So yes, you’ll see it soon.

Your author got the chance to immerse in Astrova Curve during a visit to Tactel, the Malmö, Sweden-based digital interaction agency that Panasonic acquired over a decade ago.

There, Tactel user experience director Andreas Hedin detailed the value proposition of the product, which was first showcased at the 2024 Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX) as part of MAYA, a new business class seating concept from Collins Aerospace. In the MAYA implementation, Astrova Curve’s curved OLED screen was sized at a massive 45 inches.

To sign in via NFC, the passenger places their phone on a pad, which also serves as an active charger.

The system then loads the passenger’s preferences and media. And a personalized profile page pops up.

The profile page shows the passenger’s loyalty tier benefits, presents a year in review, and highlights their media and genre preferences. If accessibility settings are required, such as larger text with higher contrast or system navigation aids, those will load as well.

While the main interaction happens on the front of the screen, the passenger is also introduced to various options on the side of the screen to facilitate journey-planning. They can adjust flight events — changing dinnertime to accommodate a snooze, for instance — if the airline’s service level supports such flexibility.

At any time, the passenger can also pull up the Panasonic Arc moving map.

Then, maybe it’s time for a movie. This is really where the screen shines, insofar as it delivers a remarkably immersive experience, especially when paired with Panasonic’s headphone-less audio, which was also featured in the MAYA business class seating concept.

Select any movie — Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga in this instance — and it almost feels as if you’re in an IMAX theater and part of the action. It can take a few minutes to adjust to the sensation.

Indeed, during the 2024 AIX show, Panasonic observed that some attendees enjoyed watching their movie while doing other things on the screen.

Using his smart phone to mimic Panasonic’s Active Surfaces, which allows for seat and IFE controls — as well as information displays and ornate lighting designs — to be embedded smoothly and seamlessly into seats, panels or monuments, Hedin controlled the GUI, showing how a passenger can easily minimize the movie to support the sort of picture-in-picture functionality that passengers are growing accustomed to on the latest IFE systems in revenue service today.

But Astrova Curve goes even further, allowing the passenger to view a transparent panel overlay that would enable them to order a snack before dinner while watching the movie.

If in dine mode, the screen can reflect that scenario, and perhaps the seat’s lighting will change to further set the scene (a feature showcased as part of MAYA, underscoring the depth of Panasonic’s IFE/seat integration project with Collins.)

If the passenger is not in the mood for a movie, and would rather relax, they can avail of Astrova Curve’s ‘mood mode’ on the screen, such as cloud scapes, hazy dunes, or dewy groves complete with ‘rain’ to help them sleep.

Since Panasonic is using OLED technology for Astrova Curve, it can showcase things on the screen without consuming too much energy. So, if the screen is in sleep mode, for instance, ‘at a glance’ information such as the amount of time left in the flight, can be unobtrusively displayed. The passenger can also set a timer to ensure that the sun rises on-screen when it’s time to wake up, customizing the experience to their liking.

When collaborating with Collins on MAYA, a big part of of the design challenge faced by Panasonic was “how can we make this feel not overwhelming, while still grabbing your attention and drawing you in,” says Hedin. So, the IFE firm had to thread a fine line.

Both parties closely cooperated on how to bridge the digital and the physical to make sure they go hand in hand, he says.

As industry waits for Astrova Curve to debut, Masson tells RGN to expect certain individual features to first break cover in commercial service.

“[W]ith MAYA we introduced several other technologies, such as headphone-less audio, and a number if UX widgets which all increased the experience. You’re going to see more of those even sooner,” he says.

We hope to learn more at this year’s AIX, which will open its doors on 14-16 in Hamburg, Germany.

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