Garuda selects GX Aviation inflight broadband with Mahata, Inmarsat, Lufthansa Technik and Lufthansa Systems

Mahata Aero Teknologi (MAT), an Indonesian wireless technology provider, today announced an agreement to provide Indonesian national airline Garuda with high-speed inflight broadband, in partnership with Inmarsat, Lufthansa Technik and Lufthansa Systems.

Under the agreement, Garuda Indonesia will equip its domestic and international aircraft fleets with Inmarsat’s next-generation GX Aviation wi-fi service, allowing passengers to seamlessly browse the internet, stream videos, check social media and more during flights. GX Aviation is the world’s first and only global, high-speed inflight connectivity service delivered through a wholly-owned and operated network of High-Throughput Satellites (HTS).

Lufthansa Technik will manage hardware, engineering, installation design and certification for the project, while Lufthansa Systems is responsible for software platform and integration, based on its BoardConnect´s open architecture.

The announcement with Garuda Indonesia, a Skytrax 5-Star Airline, marks an extension of MAT, Inmarsat, Lufthansa Technik and Lufthansa Systems’ existing 10-year contract with low-cost carrier Citilink, also part of the Garuda Indonesia Group, to provide world-class inflight broadband powered by GX Aviation. The service is scheduled to launch next year.  

Iwan Setiawan, Executive Director of PT Mahata Aero Teknologi, said: “Our inflight broadband offering with Inmarsat, Lufthansa Technik and Lufthansa Systems is fast becoming the primary service amongst airlines in Asia Pacific. We are delighted to welcome the national airline Garuda Indonesia as a customer and look forward to working with them on the rollout. This further confirms the confidence in our partnership’s ability to bring state-of-the-art connectivity to passengers in one of the world’s fastest growing aviation markets.”

Juliandra Nurtjahjo, President Director and CEO Citilink Indonesia, conveyed “Following the installation of GX Aviation inflight wi-fi at Citilink Indonesia, Garuda Indonesia, our parent company, has expressed their intention to apply the same wifi technology on their A330 aircrafts through the same provider.”

Ben Griffin, Inmarsat Aviation Regional Vice President, said: “Inmarsat has been working very successfully with Mahata, Lufthansa Technik and Lufthansa Systems on the rollout of GX Aviation inflight broadband with Citilink. The fact that Garuda Indonesia has also selected the service for its domestic and international fleet is further testament to this partnership and our market-leading service capabilities.”

Zang Thio, Lufthansa Technik’s Senior Director Corporate Sales for Southeast Asia and the India Subcontinent, said: “We are excited to strengthen our relationship with Mahata to include the support of the Garuda fleet. As we continue to explore further innovative ways of collaboration with Mahata, we aim to roll-out our connectivity solutions to additional airline customers in the future.”