Icelandair inflight connectivity from ViaSat coming on 737 MAX

Will use ViaSat for internet connectivity and streaming over Atlantic

Icelandair is to offer high-speed connectivity and internet streaming on its Boeing 737 MAX aircraft flights between North America and Europe.

Iceland’s flag carrier is enhancing its growing reputation as one of the most innovative and attractive airlines.

In a world of depressing lookalike airlines, Icelandair stands out as an airline that is working to make the passenger experience phrase actually mean it.

Recent passenger experience innovations include:

Now, the airline will start using ViaSat’s In-flight Internet System across its fleet of 16 Boeing 737MAX aircraft through post-delivery modifications.

Icelandair will use the ViaSat-2 satellite, ViaSat’s latest generation (Gen-2) in-flight internet system.

The service should be available on all of Icelandair’s 43 destinations across Europe and North America where the 737 MAX will operate.

Guðmundur Óskarsson, SVP Sales and Marketing, Icelandair:

“Icelandair continues to expand its global network with additional flights, aircraft and service capabilities across the Atlantic – our investment in new technology, from ViaSat, will deliver one of the best internet experiences in the skies.

“In partnering with ViaSat we continue our strong reputation of putting our passengers first by giving them the opportunity to use the internet the way they want to by providing nternet with fast web browsing speeds and video streaming.”

How It Works

The inernet connections are made possible by connecting passenger devices directly to ViaSat’s ViaSat-2 Ka-band satellite network (over North America and the Atlantic Ocean), and then switching these passenger connections over to the European KA-SAT network, a high-capacity Ka-band satellite system part owned by ViaSat through its European joint venture with Eutelsat.

Availability

The installation of the ViaSat in-flight internet equipment is expected to begin in March 2018 and continue through 2020.

About Icelandair

Icelandair is the main airline of Iceland, headquartered at Reykjavík Airport in Reykjavík. The airline operates out of Iceland, and uses the country’s geographical location mid-way between America and Europe as a hub to connect European cities with American and Canadian ones.

Routes: Icelandair currently flies to:

  • 17 destinations in North America (12 in the US and 5 in Canada)
  • 28 in Europe, including Reykjavík and Akureyri, both in Iceland.

Aircraft: Icelandair currently operates:

  • 25 Boeing 757-200
  •   1 Boeing 757-300
  •   2 Boeing 767-300

It has orders for 16 Boeing 737 MAX.

Passenger numbers: Icelandair currently carries about 3.7 million passengers a year.

Alliance: None

(Sources: icelandair.com)

N.B. Image credit: Icelandair

Internet links

Icelandair (FI)

ViaSat