Emirates first Airline to offer Live inflight BBC World News

Emirates has signed an agreement with BBC World to become the first airline to offer live BBC news headlines on its aircraft. The new service is effective immediately.

Most passengers will now be able to stay updated on the latest news, business and sport stories, freshened regularly throughout the flights, from the www.bbcnews.com website.

The news items are displayed on the overhead monitors or personal video screens, where they alternate with the Airshow map.

Mike Simon, Senior Vice-President Corporate Communications said: "We are excited to be the first airline in the world to offer our passengers live BBC news during flight. In trials over the past few weeks, passenger response to the new service has been enthusiastic. Now it’s available to most across the fleet."

Emirates had been presenting a selection of headlines on its brand new Airbus A340-500 aircraft, including the top six news stories and the top four business and sport developments. The new service now becomes available on all A330’s and Boeing B777-300’s, as well as some B777-200’s.

"Updates are sent to the aircraft every hour or so, but we can do it more often if there is a particularly busy news day," said Patrick Brannelly, Vice President Passenger Communications & Visual Services.

The airline devised the service with its own IT division Mercator, while licensing the news from the BBC. 

News headlines are down-streamed continually from the BBC website and retransmitted to the airline's aircraft via Inmarsat geostationary satellites, positioned 35,600km above the earth.

Bill Mould, Head of Travel Distribution at BBC World, commented: "BBC World is delighted to work with Emirates, which has developed the software and communications infrastructure for this service in-house.

“The BBC is renowned for its authoritative, accurate, balanced presentation of the news. Now Emirates’ passengers can be the best-informed, most up-to-date travellers in the skies, over four continents.”