Jeddah, November 15, 2021, SPA -- SAUDIA today announced that its upcoming fleet of 35 Airbus A321neo and Airbus A321XLR aircraft will offer the award-winning GX Aviation high-speed inflight broadband solution by Inmarsat, the world leader in global, mobile satellite communications. The aircraft will connect to the advanced connectivity service using an ultra-high performance terminal by GDC Technics, an industry leader in engineering and technical services, modifications and electronic systems. As the first major inflight connectivity agreement in the Middle East since the Covid-19 pandemic, SAUDIA will be GX Aviation’s launch customer in Saudi Arabia. In addition, the airline has become the first in the world to select both Inmarsat’s revolutionary new OneFi customer experience platform (CXP) and the next-generation terminal for GX Aviation, developed with GDC Technics. The terminal is the industry’s only in service multi-network solution and has been designed to provide enhanced customer flexibility and future proofed to meet the demands of planned and new constellations. The selection enables SAUDIA to provide a world-class digital experience for passengers onboard 20 Airbus A321neo and 15 Airbus A321XLR. The airline’s first installation of GX Aviation is expected in late 2022 and once the service is live, passengers will be able to seamlessly browse the internet, stream videos, check social media, shop online and more during flights using their own personal devices. Inmarsat’s OneFi platform will serve as a catalyst for SAUDIA to monetise its inflight connectivity by bringing a host of onboard services together within a single portal interface. The solution, which launched in September 2021, allows passengers to order food, beverages and duty free purchases, enjoy e-books, newspapers and magazines, receive the latest information for their flight and destination, and sign into SAUDIA’s AlFursan frequent flyer programme, all in real-time from the comfort of their seat. --SPA 17:23 LOCAL TIME 14:23 GMT 0019 www.spa.gov.sa/w1651781