9 June 2006 - Thales announced that it was very pleased with its TopSeries i-5000 inflight entertainment system at the conclusion of the Airbus Cabin Virtual Flight Test. Today, the system is installed in 474 passenger seats and 15 crew areas on the Airbus flight test aircraft, MSN2. Passenger display screens range in size from 8.4 inch to 15 inch and deliver a wide range of onboard service options. An in-seat power system is also available so that passengers can access power for their laptop and other handheld electronic devices. The TopSeries system includes a gigabit Ethernet network which provides greater bandwidth for data throughput. This type of network was a specific Airbus requirement for the A380 to accommodate all passengers.

The Cabin Virtual Flight Test was a simulated 15 hour flight. During that time all passengers were instructed to interact with the system for many hours and repeat using all functions over and over again. The result of the test has shown that all systems were running smoothly. The feedback from passengers was excellent. The TopSeries i-5000 system is scheduled to install on world airlines including Air France, Malaysia Airlines, and Etihad Airways. It is the first IFE system to fly on the A380 aircraft.

Thales has been working on the i-5000 system for over 2 years. In 2004, the company built its A380 IFE test lab in its Irvine, California facility. The lab included a 555 seat configuration, and later that year Thales began shipping system components to Hamburg for the Airbus test lab. Installation onto the A380 took place in 2005. “We are very excited about the result of this virtual test. Our IFE system for this flagship aircraft has truly proven to be a reliable system and we look forward to system entry into service,” said Brad Foreman, Vice President and General Manager of Thales’ inflight entertainment business.