Digitalisation: Inside intelligence

High-performance in flight connectivity will enable new digital revenue streams. Image: British Airways

As airlines and technology partners speed up their digital transformation plans, a clear pattern is emerging that next‑generation connectivity is no longer just a cabin add‑on but the foundation the intelligent cabin is built on. Keith Mwanalushi reports.

Across different business models, geographies and fleet types, carriers are beginning to converge on a shared understanding that high performance in-flight connectivity (IFC) is the enabler for real time operations, AI driven personalisation and new digital revenue streams. Recent developments at IAG, airBaltic and National Airlines illustrate how quickly this shift is taking hold, and how differently airlines are choosing to harness the same underlying capability.

BUILDING THE INTELLIGENT CABIN AT SCALE

For IAG, the introduction of Starlink across the British Airways fleet marks a decisive moment in the group’s wider transformation programme.

Peter Bunting, head of IAG Connect, frames the move not as a technology upgrade but as a structural shift in how the group intends to operate by harnessing innovation to enhance reliability, resilience, and customer satisfaction.

He tells Inflight: “For British Airways in particular, this is a step change. It means short-haul customers will enjoy a level of connectivity that has never been available at scale in Europe, and long-haul customers will see a dramatic uplift in performance and reliability. Ultimately, Starlink will transform the onboard experience and set a new benchmark for in-flight Wi-Fi across the industry.”

The decision to adopt a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) solution is rooted in performance, but also in the need to support a growing suite of digital and AI enabled tools across the group.

Starlink’s in-flight Wi-Fi is being introduced across the British Airways fleet. Image: British Airways

Bunting notes that Starlink’s low latency and high throughput will allow customers to stream content, join video calls, work in the cloud, and stay connected throughout their journey. But the implications extend far beyond the passenger experience.

He says: “High performance connectivity unlocks the full potential of the digital and AI tools we are already deploying across IAG.”

From engine optimisation systems to machine learning based disruption management, the group is increasingly reliant on real time data flows between the aircraft and the ground – with the operational impact expected to be immediate.

“Passengers will notice the difference instantly, especially on short-haul flights where high speed connectivity has historically been limited,” says Bunting.

Connectivity is a known driver of Net Promoter Score (NPS), and IAG anticipates a measurable uplift on Starlink equipped routes.

For crew, the benefits are equally tangible: faster access to information, smoother disruption handling, and more confidence in the digital tools they use every day.

Bunting says: “Crews will be able to access real-time customer insights, manage disruptions more proactively and communicate with ground teams in a seamless, data-rich way.”

What stands out in IAG’s approach is how it combines group wide support with the freedom for each airline to make its own decisions.

“Connectivity at IAG is developed in the same way as our broader transformation programme,” says Bunting.

Shared platforms provide scale and consistency, while individual airlines retain the freedom to design solutions that reflect their brand and customer needs.

It is a model that allows IAG to integrate new technologies quickly while maintaining differentiation across its portfolio.

RETAIL REIMAGINED

If IAG shows the perspective of a large network carrier, airBaltic offers the view of a digital first hybrid airline using connectivity to open up new commercial and onboard experience opportunities.

The carrier recently became the first Starlink connected airline to introduce AirMall by InterLnkd, a global, in-flight shopping mall integrated directly into its Skynet Wi Fi portal.

Barry Klipp, Chief Executive of InterLnkd

InterLnkd’s Chief Executive, Barry Klipp, describes AirMall as a personalised, data driven retail engine that adapts to each passenger’s journey.

“Travellers see a specially curated selection of products based on their destination,” he says, with recommendations shaped by the passenger’s profile and fulfilled post flight by trusted retailers.

Crucially, the experience is powered by the kind of high performance connectivity that Starlink enables.

“With always on, high speed connectivity, AirMall will dynamically change retailers, offers, language and currency,” Klipp says.

Real time payments, instant curation updates, and seamless loyalty integration all rely on the bandwidth and responsiveness of the underlying network.

Klipp is clear that digital retail is not simply an ancillary add on but a structural component of the connected cabin.

“It forms part of the airline’s digital infrastructure and is a monetisation layer for onboard Wi Fi,” he says.

This is a point that resonates strongly as airlines look for ways to offset the cost of high performance connectivity.

According to Klipp, the early results are promising. He says: “Engagement is strong, user time on the AirMall is higher than expected, and conversion rates are pleasing.”

As the digital transformation progresses, the cabin is becoming more complex. Image: British Airways

CHARTER CONNECTIONS

National Airlines offers a perspective from the premium charter sector, where digital expectations are rising just as quickly.

The carrier recently equipped its Airbus A330 fleet with Viasat’s high capacity Ka band solution, enabling what it describes as uninterrupted access to the most data hungry applications – such as high definition video streaming and powerful AI tools – on multiple devices at the same time.

For a business built around VVIP, government, sports and specialist charter missions, the ability to deliver a seamless digital experience is becoming a core part of the service proposition.

The operational benefits mirror those seen at IAG. National Airlines reports that crew are already benefiting from real time flight updates and enhanced communication with ground teams, enabling more proactive management of complex charter missions.

Viasat’s GM 40 terminal, which intelligently routes data across the company’s Ka band network, provides a scalable platform that the company says is “highly scalable and forward compatible” with future network enhancements, including ViaSat 3 satellites planned to enter service this year and future multi orbit capabilities.

BUILDING THE DIGITAL ARCHITECTURE

As airlines move further into digital transformation, the cabin is becoming more complex than the traditional IFEC systems of the past.

Real time operations, AI driven services and multi orbit connectivity are now reshaping how vendors design the digital foundations that will support the next generation of onboard innovation.

For Thales, the company’s FlytEDGE system is positioned as a step change in how airlines manage the cabin environment, as Tudy Bedou, the chief innovation and design authority at Thales InFlyt Experience, explains.

He says: “FlytEDGE was designed to be connectivity-agnostic and to make the most efficient use of the available connectivity.”

The arrival of low latency LEO constellations has accelerated this development, triggering what Bedou describes as a fundamental shift in the IFEC market.

FlytEDGE is notable not just for its cloud native architecture, but for what that architecture enables.

Thales describes it as the industry’s first IFEC platform capable of real time, completely remote operations, supported by the company’s around the clock network operations and cybersecurity operations centres.

Airlines can monitor system health, track software versions across the fleet, and push over the air updates.

Bedou says: “Airlines can drastically reduce update cycles, remove unnecessary intermediaries, and get the absolute fastest time to market for new digital experiences.”

The operational implications extend well beyond entertainment. FlytEDGE consolidates safety critical and non safety services, securely segregating applications across multiple aircraft domains.

Bedou highlights examples such as automated departure checklists, live speech to text transcription, translation, and capabilities that help ground teams anticipate logistics and streamline turnaround times.

According to Thales, the system’s open, web based architecture also allows airlines to integrate third party applications quickly, supporting a growing ecosystem of partners.

Thales is clear about the architectural principles required to build a future proof intelligent cabin: standardisation, secure interoperability, and AI at the edge.

For Bedou, industry wide adoption of common protocols, hardware interfaces and data models is essential, though adoption remains limited.

Secure data exchange between cabin devices, ground systems and external vendors is another priority, particularly as more systems become interconnected.

“Access to this information will require safe, secure and reliable communications,” says Bedou.

He notes that with AI processing increasingly shifting on board, some level of AI needs to be on board, “enabling real time decision making, reducing latency, enhancing data privacy, and operating without constant internet connectivity”.

AI WITHOUT BROADBAND

AirFi offers a contrasting but equally important perspective on how to bring intelligence to fleets that lack broadband connectivity.

The company’s new AI travel assistant, Wingman, has been designed specifically for the constraints and realities of the aircraft cabin.

Unlike ground-based travel apps or concept-stage onboard assistants, Wingman is built to operate in-flight without relying on traditional broadband connectivity and specifically for the constraints of narrowbody, regional and leisure aircraft.

These are segments that make up the majority of global flying but have historically been excluded from the intelligent cabin conversation.

Wingman started with a constraint most of the industry sees as a limitation – low bandwidth.

“We took the opposite view,” says AirFi’s Chief Executive, Laura Rösges. “If you design for low bandwidth from the beginning, you make very different choices, and in our case, better ones.”

Wingman runs on AirFi’s lightweight LEO connectivity using the Iridium Certus network, requiring no fuselage-mounted antennas, no structural modifications, and no STC.

Passengers access the service directly through the in-flight portal with no app to download, no login, and no registration required.

“Our antennas are window-mounted, drag-free, and can be installed overnight,” says Rösges.

The system captures structured inputs such as destination, interests, group size and trip duration and processes them locally on the onboard AirFi box. Only a single, efficient query is sent over the satellite link to the AI engine on the ground.

The model returns curated, predictable recommendations rather than open ended outputs, ensuring consistency even in low bandwidth environments.

“If it doesn’t need to be heavy, don’t make it heavy,” says Rösges, summarising the design philosophy.

Wingman also uses live data feeds for events, weather and dining options to keep itineraries current throughout the flight.

The experience is intentionally simple. After a few prompts, a tailored itinerary is generated within seconds, with the ability to save or share the results after landing.

For airlines, as Rösges notes, the value lies in offering a meaningful, personalised service without the cost or complexity of broadband.

Connectivity is a driver of Net Promoter Score. Image: British Airways

She says: “The intelligent cabin is not going to arrive as one massive upgrade. It is going to be built incrementally, through practical tools that solve real problems within the constraints airlines actually face.”

Looking ahead, AirFi sees Wingman evolving into a broader platform, with direct booking capability, loyalty integration, voice interaction, and even a crew facing version that provides access to manifests, service manuals, and operational procedures.

The crew tool, in particular, came directly from airline feedback, highlighting the growing appetite for practical AI tools across the cabin.

MULTI ORBIT HARDWARE ARRIVES

In a related development from ThinKom, the company’s ThinAir Ka2517 terminal was recently approved for operation on the SES Open Orbits network, enabling airlines to access Geostationary Orbit (GEO) and Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) capacity through a single, hybrid architecture.

The terminal forms part of an integration package from RAVE Aerospace, including a dual modem ModMan capable of supporting multiple waveforms and satellite networks.

The significance of the certification lies in its alignment with the industry’s shift toward multi orbit connectivity. Airlines increasingly recognise that no single orbit can meet all performance, coverage and resilience requirements.

For the intelligent cabin ecosystem, this matters because the next wave of digital services like AI tools, real time crew applications, predictive maintenance, and dynamic retail will depend on connectivity that is both high performance and resilient.

This article was published in the May/June 2026 edition of Inflight. To read more articles like this, apply for your complimentary subscription today.