Thales's TopFlight SATCOM has completed its final flight approvals (CFAR) and is ready for commercial use on Airbus' fleet of single-aisle passenger jets. The compact satellite communications terminal has already been successfully used to send and receive data and voice calls via the Inmarsat broadband service during two five-hour test flights across Europe.

This is a significant milestone for the TopFlight SATCOM, developed Thales's aerospace activities in the UK, underlining its potential to revolutionise civil air travel.

As a key part of the technology within Air Line Network Architecture, (Airbus connectivity offering for OnAir) the cabin connectivity solution developed between aircraft manufacturer Airbus and passenger communications service provider, OnAir, the TopFlight SATCOM devices use Inmarsat's satellite network to allow passengers to access mobile services onboard just as they would on the ground.

Through an on-board mobile base station, the OnAir system effectively creates an on-board GSM network that uses satellite communications to route calls and data - via Inmarsat's I-4 geo-stationary satellites - to and from networks on the ground.