Thales Opens New Technical Centre in Doha

Qatar Airways and Thales, the airline’s inflight entertainment and connectivity supplier, have opened a new technology research, development and training centre located at the Qatar Science and Technology Park in Doha.

The new centre has been established by Thales in collaboration with Qatar Airways under the official name, Thales QSTP-LLC.

In the first phase of development, a Joint Innovation and Technology Project will be established to further develop inflight entertainment (IFE) solutions for Qatar’s national carrier in the heart of the airline’s hub.

Thales, which already has an office in Qatar, has been creating new generation IFE solutions since 2009 for Qatar Airways’ narrow body fleet of Airbus A320s. The systems include touch-screen technology, with seat-back screens in Economy and arm rest screens in Business Class.

The French company will also provide new inflight entertainment and communication systems for the airline’s Boeing 787 aircraft, of which the first of 60 on order is scheduled for delivery this summer. Qatar Airways is the Middle East launch customer of the Boeing 787.

Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer, Akbar Al Baker, said, “IFE today plays a crucial role in a passenger’s decision making process when choosing which airline to fly with. 15 years ago IFE played a very small part of an airline’s product offering. Today, it is a crucial element in the entire package of services offered by airlines to passengers. Qatar Airways has understood the importance of entertainment, hence our inflight offerings have tripled from over 300 interactive audio and video options seven years ago to more than 1,000 today.”

Thales In-Flight Entertainment and Connectivity Systems CEO, Alan Pellegrini, added, “This grand opening in Doha symbolises our deep commitment to Qatar Airways and I am confident that the collective experience and talent of our organisations will play a significant part in the future of onboard systems and services.”

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