Qatar Airways to become the first global airline to offer passengers 100% touch-free ‘Zero-Touch’ in-flight entertainment technology

Passengers travelling onboard the airline’s Airbus A350 fleet will soon be able to access the award-winning Oryx One in-flight entertainment system through their own personal electronic devices, minimising the risk of COVID-19

The airline will also become the first airline in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa to offer passengers the option to pair their personal Bluetooth headphones with the seatback IFE system in all cabins on the Boeing 787-9 fleet

Qatar Airways was recently the first global airline to achieve the 5-Star COVID-19 Airline Safety Rating by Skytrax for its COVID-19 safety precautions

Qatar Airways is pleased to soon become the first global airline to offer passengers 100 percent Zero-Touch technology for its award-winning Oryx One in-flight entertainment system across the A350 fleet as part of the airline’s latest COVID-19 safety measures.

The Zero-Touch technology, introduced in partnership with the Thales AVANT IFE system, will enable A350 passengers to pair their personal electronic devices (PEDs) with their seat-back IFE screen by connecting to ‘Oryxcomms’ Wi-Fi and simply scanning a QR code displayed on the screen. They can then use their PEDs to navigate and enjoy more than 4,000 options on offer through the airline’s Oryx One in-flight entertainment system, limiting the frequency of on board surface contact and providing greater peace of mind throughout the duration of their journey.

Qatar Airways is also set to become the first airline in Europe and the Middle East and North Africa region to offer passengers in Business and Economy the option to pair their personal Bluetooth headphones with the onboard seatback IFE system in all cabins on the Boeing 787-9 fleet.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker said: “As an industry leader in the fight against COVID-19 and the first global airline to recently achieve a 5-Star rating in the coveted Skytrax Airline Safety Rating, Qatar Airways is committed to ensuring the highest standards of safety and hygiene onboard its aircraft at all times.

“The introduction of the state-of-the-art Zero-Touch technology, and enabling passengers to use their personal Bluetooth headset on board is an important step in taking our already rigorous and stringent COVID-19 precautions to another level, limiting passenger surface contact and preventing any possible spread of infection on board.

“We hope it provides yet further assurance of the safety of air travel, as well as offering passengers on board increased confidence that they are enjoying the most consistently advanced customer experience available in the sky.”

The national carrier of the State of Qatar continues to rebuild its network, which currently stands at over 130 destinations. With more frequencies being added to key hubs, Qatar Airways offers unrivalled connectivity to passengers, making it easy for them to change their travel dates or destination if they need to.

Oryx One, Qatar Airways’ in-flight entertainment system offers passengers up to 4,000 entertainment options from the latest blockbuster movies, TV box sets, music, games and much more. Passengers can also stay in touch with their friends and family around the world by using the award-winning airline’s on-board Wi-Fi and GSM service.