Intelsat announced that the first factory-installed Intelsat 2Ku system has been delivered on an A321neo aircraft. The 2Ku system was installed by Airbus at its factory in Hamburg, Germany as part of its High Bandwidth Connectivity Service (HBCS) and delivered to Cathay Pacific.

The Intelsat 2Ku antenna enables airlines to access the global Intelsat network and, in turn, a reliable and high-performance inflight entertainment and connectivity (IFEC) experience for their passengers and crew. The ability to offer the factory-installed option to airlines means Intelsat’s services are available immediately at the time an airline receives its new aircraft.

“We’re honored to work with Airbus and Cathay Pacific to create this substantial catalog offering. Being part of the world’s largest satellite company creates a great opportunity to expand the services we offer and the fleets we serve. We have been working with Airbus to deliver linefit aircraft, and are pleased to now make that a reality,” said Dave Bijur, senior vice president, commercial for Intelsat’s Commercial Aviation business division.

As the leading provider of inflight broadband connectivity to the commercial aviation industry, Intelsat’s global reach, depth of capacity and vertical integration provides airlines with unmatched speed, reliability and flexibility — even when flying at full capacity in and out of the busiest airports. Airlines can also trust Intelsat’s meaningful and easy-to-understand Service Level Agreements (SLAs) to meet their passenger experience needs.

“We are delighted to extend our partnership with Intelsat to the A321neo fleet, adding to the fully connected long-haul fleet and regional wide-body aircraft already flying with Wi-Fi,” said Vivian Lo, Cathay Pacific’s general manager customer experience and design. “Having these new short-haul aircraft connected is essential in the modern world for business and leisure travel alike. As a premium service carrier, Cathay Pacific is determined to innovate and elevate the short-haul flying experience by offering connectivity, seatback 4K inflight entertainment and Bluetooth headphone pairing on our new state-of-the-art A321neo fleet.”

Cathay Pacific’s A321neo aircraft will fly regional routes from the airline’s base in Hong Kong.

Intelsat is currently leveraging its unparalleled global orbital and spectrum rights, scale and partnerships to build the world’s first global 5G satellite-based, software-defined “network of networks.” The Intelsat network will be capable of supporting virtually any access technology, enabling the next generation of global mobility, IoT and 5G services with never-before-seen simplicity, coverage, economics and performance.