Air Canada has begun operations in a A321 aircraft retro-fitted with Panasonic Avionics' in-flight entertainment system Astrova.
Hernan Abbes, SVP of global sales at Panasonic Avionics Corporation, said: “We are delighted to see our award-winning Astrova IFE solution officially take flight for the first time on Air Canada. This debut demonstrates the flexibility and scalability of Astrova across diverse aircraft types, while delivering a truly premium, cinematic experience at every seat. With its flexible design and modular approach to upgrades, we are confident that Astrova will enable Air Canada to enhance its brand and increase passenger engagement for many years to come.”
The airline is retro-fitting Astrova on 19 A321 aircraft with another 67 to be installed across a number of aircraft types within its fleet. The system provides up to 67W of DC power via USB-C at every seat, and its removable peripheral bar can also be quickly hot swapped to unlock access to services such as USB power and Bluetooth technology.
John Moody, MD onboard product at Air Canada, said: “Providing a consistent, premium experience across our diverse fleet is a top priority for Air Canada. The scalability of the Astrova system allows us to seamlessly integrate industry-leading entertainment across all aircraft and all classes of service. We are excited to offer our passengers this exceptional level of high-fidelity video audio, and in-seat power as we continue to modernize our cabin interiors.”