Airbus signs provisional connectivity deal with Amazon

Airbus has signed a provisional deal with Amazon to provide connectivity to airlines via the tech giant’s planned Project Kuiper constellation of satellites.

The plan to enhance Airbus’ High Bandwidth Connectivity Plus programme was announced at a major cabin interiors exhibition in Hamburg.

Airbus said in a statement that it plans “to integrate Project Kuiper’s connectivity solution into the Airbus line-fit and retrofit aircraft catalogue of managed service providers.”

“This will give Airbus customers the option of using Project Kuiper’s service to enrich passengers’ onboard experience and optimise flight operations,” the aircraft manufacturer said.

Project Kuiper’s vice president for sales and marketing Chris Weber said the agreement would “enable more airlines to offer richer onboard passenger experiences and access critical flight operations information, keeping them at the forefront of the transformation in commercial aviation.”

Kuiper is expected to comprise of a constellation of more than 3200 low Earth orbit satellites.

iTnews contributed to this story.