• New agreement is part of Inmarsat’s cooperation with Lufthansa Group

United Kingdom | November 11, 2016– Inmarsat (ISAT.L), the world’s leading provider of global mobile satellite communications, will provide its advanced new GX for Aviation in-flight broadband solution to Austrian Airlines’ continental aircraft fleet under a landmark new contract announced today.

More than 30 Airbus A320 family aircraft from Austrian Airlines’ fleet will be equipped with GX for Aviation, the world’s first in-flight connectivity solution with reliable, seamless high-speed global coverage provided through a single operator. The advanced new service will allow the airline’s passengers to browse the internet, stream videos, check social media and more, with service levels on par with broadband connectivity available on the ground.

The first installation and testing onboard Austrian Airlines aircraft is currently underway.

The Austrian Airlines contract is part of a 10-year strategic agreement announced last year between Inmarsat and the Lufthansa Group, which included the selection of GX for Aviation for Lufthansa’s European continental fleet of over 150 aircraft. The service recently went live under a ‘soft launch’ phase on selected aircraft with Lufthansa and commercial passenger services are expected to start with the airline soon.

Leo Mondale, President of Inmarsat Aviation, said: “We are delighted to welcome Austrian Airlines as our latest GX for Aviation customer. This announcement is particularly special for us, as it comes soon after we unveiled that the service is now live after five years of development.

“For too long, airline passengers have struggled with either substandard or non-existent connectivity onboard their flights. GX for Aviation marks an important turning point. Broadband services are now available in the sky, so you can browse the internet, stream videos, download files, check and update your social media, just as you have been doing on the ground. Our airline customers understand that service differentiators such as high-speed broadband on flights are key to meeting the expectations of today’s passengers and therefore strengthening their position in a highly competitive market.”

• Lufthansa Group subsidiary teams with Teledyne Controls to become first to manage data and flight safety information from a single device

El Segundo, CA | September 2, 2015– Austrian Airlines, part of the Lufthansa Group, has become the first airline in the world to use, as a single device, the GroundLink® Comm+ system from Teledyne Controls, to collect and manage flight data and enable the Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) system connectivity and ACARS over IP, by implementing the new GroundLink® AID+ feature.

The GroundLink® system, which is an Airbus/Boeing certified solution, has recently been upgraded to include the Aircraft Interface Device (AID) capability, which means that no additional AID device needs to be installed, thus giving Austrian Airlines a tremendous competitive advantage.

And because the device uses cellular media to transmit data, including EFB and ACARS data, no additional communication costs are involved.

Hans-Jürgen Neufert, Regional Director, Sales and Service for Teledyne Controls, says that Austrian Airlines is the first to adopt GroundLink® AID+ for its full capabilities and for all the right reasons: “It takes the challenge of connectivity and communication across multiple devices and effectively solves it,” he says.

Austrian Airlines has only recently begun implementing a new EFB regime, central to which is the use of a consumer Tablet that is mounted in the cockpit. The Teledyne system connects via Ethernet with the airline’s chosen EFB Tablet (the Microsoft Surface Pro 3), giving pilots a range of new capabilities including access to aircraft avionics data and data store as well as interface with aircraft ACARS systems and cockpit printers direct to their Tablet.

Dr. Philipp Haller, A320-Captain and EFB-Administrator at Austrian Airlines, says that pilots are now able to use EFBs in all phases of flight: “In particular, this applies to critical phases such as take-off and landing,” he says.

“Our EFB system enables us to synchronize a wide range of the latest data, information and flight-related documentation prior to flight, meaning it is then available offline during flight. The immediate availability of manuals, charts or checklists enormously increases the ability to take action in the air.”

Hans-Jürgen Neufert, says that GroundLink® AID+ will help take EFB functionality to another level: “Not only does our system add essential EFB support services to the GroundLink® Comm+ unit, but it also gives pilots a level of functionality and support that could help dramatically improve flight operations.”

The GroundLink® AID+ function extends the airline’s investments already made in the GroundLink® Comm+ provisions and hardware for applications such as automated wireless Flight Data download and wireless distribution of software parts across the fleet. Enabling the AID+ functions is very easy as it only requires a software upgrade to the GroundLink® Comm+ Unit. Additional information regarding GroundLink® AID+ can be found at http://www.teledyne-controls.com/productsolution/groundlinkaid/overview.asp.