FLYDUBAI has signed a deal that will make the airline the much-anticipated launch customer of the revolutionary ‘Fibre To The Screen’ (FTTS) in-flight entertainment system from Lumexis.
The deal is for 44 flydubai B737-800NGs, the first of which is due to arrive in October 2010.
flydubai CEO Ghaith Al Ghaith explained why the low cost carrier had taken the step of investing in the new IFE system from Lumexis saying: “In-flight entertainment is very popular with passengers, but the traditional systems were prohibitively expensive for us as a low cost carrier. The Lumexis FTTS touch-screen system offers us a flexible, high quality and innovative in-flight entertainment (IFE) option at a fraction of the normal cost.
“The FTTS system from Lumexis is revolutionary because it uses fibre optics rather than traditional copper piping. This significantly reduces the cost of the system overall and makes it far lighter than other IFEs in use today. Any reduction in weight reduces our fuel costs and therefore ensures we can keep our ticket prices low.”
Doug Cline, CEO of Lumexis, said: “Lumexis is privileged to be partnered with such a forward-thinking and innovative carrier. As the launch customer for our second generation of FTTS, flydubai demanded not only extremely low cost-of-ownership but, most importantly, the highest reliability and performance to ensure uninterrupted service and full passenger satisfaction.”
Since November 2009 when Lumexis announced it had contracted with an unnamed Boeing 737 operator as the launch customer, the identity of the airline has been the object of intense industry speculation. Few observers expected the answer to be a low-cost carrier. But as Cline explained: “While it provides unmatched delivery capacity, the unique FTTS fibre optic network is so efficient that the installed system is half the cost and weight of earlier generation, copper-based systems. As a result, the latest passenger-pleasing, revenue-producing services can be offered on board the most cost-competitive airline.”