Air France recently tested the very first flight equipped with Li-Fi (Light Fidelity) technology, developed by Latécoère on board the commercial flight AF6114 operated by Airbus A321 from Paris-Orly to Toulouse. As part of its commitment to researching new in-flight uses for its customers, Air France welcomed gamers, finalists in the Air France Trackmania Cup, developed by Ubisoft, who competed in the sky.

Air France and Latécoère are currently testing the ease with which this technology can be integrated and certified on commercial flights. The Latécoère Li-Fi infrastructure installed on 12 seats on the Air France Airbus A321 has many advantages. It generates: a completely stable multimedia data exchange at a very high speed and very low latency; and a reduction in the aircraft’s weight and therefore its fuel consumption, due to replacing copper cables with fibre optic technology.

Antoine Laborde, Air France’s Innovation Manager said, “We are very proud to be the first airline to launch a Li-Fi equipped aircraft and to organise an in-flight video game competition. This world first is the result of a great collaboration between Latécoère, Ubisoft and the Air France teams. I am convinced that this experience will pave the way for new in-flight entertainment experiences for our customers, especially with regards to gaming.”

Yannick Assouad, CEO of Latécoère adds, “This first flight equipped with our Li-Fi technology is an important step in the roll-out of this technology in the aeronautical market. We are convinced that Li-Fi will revolutionise in-flight connectivity within the next 5 years.”

Leave a Reply