Cypriot airline Cobalt Air has signed a deal with Bluebox Aviation Systems Ltd. to deploy the latter’s portable wireless IFE platform across the carrier’s fleet of Airbus A319-100s and A320-200s.
The airline agreed a 3-year agreement with Scotland-based Bluebox for its Bluebox Wow solution and says it is part of its “rapid transition from low-cost to full-service carrier”. Andrew Madar, Cobalt’s CEO, added that it “recognises the role that delivering a high-quality inflight entertainment experience has to play. Bluebox Wow enables us to do this quickly and cost-effectively, and with virtually no disruption to our service, which would have happened if we’d attempted to implement a fitted system.”
The product provides wireless content streamed to passenger devices in any aircraft cabin, including up to 1.6 terabytes of film, TV, audio, games and other digital content, accessed through any web browser. The portable, lunchbox-sized unit can be stowed in overhead lockers, with each having a single, swappable rechargeable battery offering the equivalent of 15 hours of streamed video content to 50 passengers simultaneously. It is offered as a cost-effective alternative to seatback IFE systems, and helps address a range of IFE requirements including ancillary revenue generation.
Larnaca, Cyprus-based Cobalt only began operations in June 2016, and now has a route structure across the UK, Ireland, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Germany, Spain, Israel, Lebanon and Greece.
