INMARSAT
9.3.2023 08:01:34 CET | Business Wire | Press release
Digitally-connected flights to and from Italy will be available from this summer, as ITA Airways rolls out the European Space Agency (ESA) and Inmarsat’s ground-breaking Iris data link technology to the cockpits of its full aircraft fleet, contributing to airspace modernisation in Europe.
ITA Airways will be the first full service carrier in Europe to join Iris. The programme enables aircraft to fly more fuel-efficient routes by providing digital satellite communications to complement VHF data link, which is nearing a capacity crunch in congested airspace. Without fast and reliable data links between aircraft and the ground, air traffic managers cannot unlock the 8-10% reduction in CO2 emissions identified by EUROCONTROL from improved Air Traffic Management (ATM). Iris will allow ATM players to better anticipate and collaborate to maximise airspace use, reducing the impact of disruptions for passengers while reducing emissions.
The Italian national carrier will equip its full fleet of new Airbus A320neo and A330neo aircraft deliveries with Inmarsat’s SwiftBroadband-Safety (SB-S), the award-winning platform flying on more than 230 aircraft globally, which powers Iris. Its aircraft will also play a significant role in Iris demonstration flights, which will take place across European airspace supported by 14 Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs) during 2023.
This news comes as five more airlines have now equipped aircraft with Inmarsat SB-S, after Airbus’ Light Cockpit Satcom (LCS) terminal became available to order in December 2022. Current SB-S users include Virgin Atlantic, Jet2, and Transavia Airlines, in addition to ITA Airways and easyJet.
Across the seven European airlines, 72 aircraft deliveries with Airbus LCS installed are anticipated during 2023-2024. Iris-capable Inmarsat terminals across many more of Europe’s commercial airlines will further support the Single European Sky ATM Research (SESAR) masterplan.
Alessio Leone, Head of Camo Operations, at ITA Airways said “ITA Airways was born to guarantee Italy quality connectivity with a strong focus on the environmental impact through an important investment made in a homogeneous and technologically advanced fleet, which in 2026 will be made up of 80% of new generation aircrafts becoming the greenest fleet in Europe. We are proud to join the Iris programme, which is fully in line with our growth strategy as it reflects two of the core pillars of ITA Airways: sustainability and innovation. ITA Airways is the first full service carrier in Europe with a new fleet fully equipped with this cutting-edge technology by Inmarsat Aviation, delivering operational and environmental benefits.”
Joel Klooster, Inmarsat Aviation’s Senior Vice President of Aircraft Operations and Safety, said “We are delighted to welcome ITA Airways as the second airline to join Iris, coming only months after easyJet was announced as the first airline. This shows the impressive momentum that continues to build around the programme as it heads towards commercial service introduction in Europe this year, followed by a full global rollout. Iris will mark a transformational step-change in air traffic management, delivering operational and environment benefits for airlines and the aviation industry as a whole, while also enhancing the flight experience for passengers.”
Javier Benedicto, Acting Director of Telecommunications and Integrated Applications at ESA, said: “We are proud to support the space-enabled digitalisation of Europe’s skies, which will help to make aviation greener. ESA developed the Iris system in partnership with Inmarsat and we welcome ITA Airways as the first full service carrier and the second airline to sign up to use it. Investing in space improves life on Earth.”
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS:
ITA follows easyJet, which became the first airline to join the programme last June.
ABOUT ITA AIRWAYS
ITA Airways is a company totally owned by the Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance for the exercise of business in the air transport sector. ITA Airways aims at creating an efficient and innovative air carrier that will become a reference point in providing Italy with quality connectivity both in terms of international destinations, thus boosting tourism and foreign trade, and within the Country, also taking advantage of the train-air integrated mobility. ITA Airways will place the best customer service at the center of its strategy (through a strong digitization of processes that ensure a best-in-class experience and personalized services), combined with sustainability, in its environmental (new green and technologically advanced aircraft, use of sustainable fuels), social (equality and inclusion for a gender-neutral company) and governance (integration of sustainability into internal strategies and processes) aspects. ITA Airways is a member of SkyTeam alliance as of October 2021.
ABOUT INMARSAT
Inmarsat delivers world leading, innovative, advanced and exceptionally reliable global, mobile communications across the world – in the air, at sea and on land - that are enabling a new generation of commercial, government and mission-critical services. Inmarsat is powering the digitalisation of the maritime industry, making operations more efficient and safer than ever before. It is driving a new era of inflight passenger services for aviation, while ensuring that aircraft can fly with maximum efficiency and safety. Furthermore, Inmarsat is enabling the rapid expansion of the Internet of Things (IoT) and enabling the next wave of world-changing technologies that will underpin the connected society and help build a sustainable future. And now Inmarsat is developing the first-of-its-kind, multi-dimensional communications network of the future, ORCHESTRA.
In November 2021, Inmarsat and Viasat announced the planned combination of the two companies, to create a new leader in global communications.
For further information, follow us: Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram.
ABOUT IRIS
Iris benefits airlines and ANSPs by bringing the bandwidth and reliability to allow digital exchanges between the aircraft and ground systems. System-to-system digital communication enables flights to be managed more efficiently through trajectory-based operations. These 4 Dimensional Trajectory-Based Operations (4D TBO) improve the management of airspace capacity, unlocking operational efficiency for airlines by avoiding holding patterns, accessing improved routes and optimum altitudes, and using continuous climb and descent pathways. The additional datalink capacity provided by SB-S will also power a host of onboard digital applications, such as AI flight profile optimisers and real-time weather applications.
European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certification of ESSP as the Communication Service Provider for the Iris data link service is nearing completion, and will mark the first air navigation service provider to own a pan-European certificate that allows cross-border delivery of air traffic management services.
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230308005515/en/
About Business Wire
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
The World Goes Green for St Patrick’s Day 202617.3.2026 17:50:00 CET | Press release
Ireland Leads a Global Celebration of Culture and Community This March, St Patrick’s Day invites people all over the world to become Irish for a day, as cities and communities across the globe unite in a shared celebration of heritage, culture and connection. From parades and parties to the famous global greenings, the festival’s spirit reaches far beyond Ireland’s shores. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260306890851/en/ St Patrick's Festival Kilkenny City 2022 The World Goes Green Ireland’s national holiday, St Patrick’s Day unites a global community in a vivid moment of celebration. Each year, hundreds of iconic landmarks are illuminated in green, from the Empire State Building in New York and the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy to Niagara Falls in Canada and the Wallace Monument in Scotland. These striking displays reflect the far-reaching connections of Irish communities overseas and the worldwide affection
USD 1.63 Billion In 72 Hours: Manchester City Yas Residences by Ohana Development Sets New Sales Record In Abu Dhabi17.3.2026 16:44:00 CET | Press release
• 35% of investors are Emiratis, while 65% are expatriates and international investors • Milestone reflects strong demand for the project and continued confidence in the UAE’s real estate sector Ohana Development, a leading UAE real estate developer renowned for its luxury projects, has recorded USD 1.63 billion in sales within 72 hours for Manchester City Yas Residences by Ohana, a gated waterfront community located along Yas Canal in Abu Dhabi, setting a new sales record in the emirate’s real estate market. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260317595867/en/ Manchester City Yas Residences by Ohana (Photo: AETOSWire) Investors queued at the sales launch, reflecting the strong demand for the project. Of the investors, 35% are Emiratis, while 65% are expatriates and international buyers. In response to this significant interest, Ohana Development is expected to release additional inventory from the project soon. I
Speech Processing Solutions Launches Philips SpeechLive Health, an AI Assistant Built for Modern Clinical Documentation17.3.2026 15:00:00 CET | Press release
Philips SpeechLive Health AI Assistant uses healthcare-trained AI to convert clinical conversations into structured notes, helping clinicians reduce administrative burden Speech Processing Solutions, the global leader in professional dictation and speech solutions sold under the Philips brand, today announced the upcoming April 2026 launch of Philips SpeechLive Health AI Assistant, an AI-powered clinical documentation assistant designed for healthcare professionals across multiple care settings. This solution reduces administrative burden, streamlines documentation, and improves provider and patient experiences. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260317743584/en/ Philips SpeechLive Health AI Assistant turns clinical conversations into structured documentation, helping reduce administrative workload and create more time for patient care. Purpose-built for clinical documentation workflows Clinical workload remains
Moody’s Ratings Becomes First Credit Rating Agency to Bring Independent Credit Analysis to Blockchain Financial Infrastructure17.3.2026 15:00:00 CET | Press release
Moody’s Corporation (NYSE: MCO) today announced that Moody’s Ratings has launched its network-agnostic Token Integration Engine™ (TIE), becoming the first credit rating agency to ingest analytical data and share credit insights on-chain. As an inaugural step, it is the first rating agency to operate a node on the Canton Network. The milestone marks a significant step in Moody’s commitment to digital innovation, intending to enable secure, compliant, and efficient ingestion of data and dissemination of ratings enabled by technology built for integration across platforms. “As financial markets digitize, the need for independent, trusted risk analysis and credit insights does not change,” said Fabian Astic, Managing Director and Global Head of Digital Economy at Moody’s Ratings. “Moody’s Ratings is extending that rigor to digital market infrastructure consistent with global regulatory expectations and our governance, transparency, and compliance practices.” Moody’s Ratings’ TIE serves as
Coherent Solutions Releases Research on AI-driven Fraud Prevention in Banking and Finance and the Best AI Models for Banks17.3.2026 15:00:00 CET | Press release
Coherent Solutions has released a Future of Finance research illustrating how AI is advancing fraud detection in financial services. The research offers financial institutions a strategic framework to address rising and more sophisticated fraud techniques with adaptive, human-in-the-loop AI systems, based on the firm’s extensive experience in AI engineering. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260317526196/en/ Coherent Solutions releases research on AI-driven fraud prevention. This white paper addresses the modern threat of transaction fraud, which is becoming faster and smarter while conventional rule-based systems lag, leaving financial institutions exposed. Banks, credit lenders, and financial institutions that adopt AI and machine learning can reduce fraud losses by up to 50% and detect anomalies in real time. When implemented with proper governance and human oversight, AI systems also make audits smoother and
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom