Farnborough Air Show: Thales IFE systems to equip Embraer 170s headed for the Indian market
18 Jul 2008
Indian start-up regional carrier, Star Aviation, a unit of the Dubai-based ETA Star Group, has chosen the TopSeries i4500 lightweight audio/video-on-demand (AVOD) in-flight entertainment system from Thales for its seven, recently ordered, Embraer 170 regional jets.
The E170s are to be configured for 76 seats, each with its own 8.9in screen.
The Chennai-based airline has options on three more E170s and purchase rights to a further five aircraft from the Embraer range.
The aircraft will be delivered between March 2009 and February 2010 and will operate on regional routes on the Indian sub-continent, serving medium and low-density markets.
The TopSeries i4500 was developed specifically for regional-jet applications by eliminating the under-seat boxes that house power and processing capacity in conventional AVOD systems but which also deprive passengers of leg-room.
''The regional jet market is a new opportunity for us to provide a consistent passenger experience,'' says Alan Pellegrini, general manager of the Thales IFE business. ''We see a solid upward trend in the years ahead.''