Turkish Airlines selects the Thales TopSeries AVANT on new single aisle aircraft

Turkish Airlines is the world’s largest carrier by number of destinations and enjoys an average fleet age of just over 6 years, well below all its main European peers. The carrier achieved a huge 23.6% growth in 2013 with over 50 million passengers. It utilised this success and young fleet to develop a bold and successful strategy, positioning itself as one of the top airlines for passenger comfort. As a result, SKYTRAX, the world’s premier airline review service has, for the past three consecutive years voted Turkish Airlines Europe’s best airline.

This commitment to the passenger experience is reflected in the airline’s choice to operate the latest generation, award winning Thales TopSeries AVANT IFE system. The system is easily equipped on all advanced, single and twin aisle Airbus and Boeing aircraft and its unique design eliminates the electronics box under each cabin seat therefore improving passenger comfort and driving weight efficiency, both key drivers for the single aisle segment. The system’s scalable design allows Turkish to offer differentiation between classes such as single touchscreen in economy and interactive multi-screen in business. The AVANT system is also based on the Android Operating System, which accommodates a wide range of both off-the-shelf and airline specific applications easily integrated using the unique Thales Software Developers Kit (SDK).

A further element of the selection was Turkish Airlines’ ability to use Thales’s highly experienced global service and support network to ensure optimal system performance especially in fast turnaround situations, driving maximum passenger satisfaction and comfort.