Air India signs 10-year IFE maintenance deal with French aerospace major Thales

Air India has signed a 10-year agreement with French aerospace and defence major Thales for maintenance of inflight entertainment (IFE) systems under the FlytCARE programme, as part of its ongoing fleet modernisation, the companies said on Tuesday.

The deal covers turnkey maintenance services, including line maintenance, spares, repairs and logistics support for Thales’ IFE systems across 57 Airbus and Boeing aircraft. These systems will be installed on existing Boeing 777 and 787-8 aircraft as retrofits, as well as on new 787-9 and A350 planes over the next two years.

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Under the agreement, services will be delivered from Thales facilities at Delhi and Mumbai airports, aimed at improving turnaround time and system reliability.

The contract also includes support for 12 new widebody aircraft equipped with Thales’ AVANT Up IFE system, which offers 4K HDR touchscreens, fast charging ports and Bluetooth connectivity. Air India is the first airline in the Asia-Pacific region to deploy this system.

Air India said the partnership would strengthen its engineering capabilities and enhance passenger experience, while Thales described the agreement as an extension of its long-standing relationship with the airline.

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