Discover Airlines, a subsidiary of Lufthansa, will be fitted with multi-orbit antennas on its long-haul aircraft and able to deliver broadband speeds of up to 200 Mb/s connection. Panasonic will start the installs this autumn and will use satellite capacity from Eutelsat’s OneWeb fleet.

Discover Airlines is already offering Lufthansa’s FlyNet wifi on most of its aircraft – the carrier said that the exact pricing of the new Panasonic Avionics technology was still being finalised, but would be “in line” with the current offering, according to a report in Business Traveller. Being ‘in line’ could mean free access similar to that offered for all Lufthansa’s ‘Miles & Blue’ members.

Discover Airlines was launched in 2021 as Eurowings Discover. Its existing fleet flies on long-haul routes to Bridgetown, Halifax, Montego Bay, Cancun, Las Vegas, Orlando and Philadelphia.

Discover Airlines has already expressed its plans to grow its fleet to 33 aircraft by mid-2027, as well as “a gradual, complete renewal” of all seating products on its Airbus A330 aircraft including a new business class.

John Wade, vice president of connectivity at Panasonic Avionics, commented: “We are proud to partner with Discover Airlines as one of our first multi-orbit customers and to offer their guests this exceptional connectivity experience. Our multi-orbit network has been extensively tested, and we are confident it will be a popular choice for airlines in the future.”

Discover Airlines chief executive Bernd Bauer, added: “The introduction of this new technology is a major step towards an even more digitalised flight experience and is a real upgrade for our guests. In the future, this will also open up opportunities to further personalise the entertainment programme and the service on board.”

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Tags: discover, IFC, Panasonic