Singapore Airlines hosts world’s first in-flight live television broadcast

Singapore Airlines has partnered with Sky Sports for the world’s first live broadcast from a commercial Airbus A380 flight. The first-of-its-kind event saw Sky Sports presenter Craig Slater interview Ruth Buscombe, senior strategy engineer for the Alfa Romeo Racing Formula One team, on their flight to Singapore for this year’s Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix 2019.

The live broadcast took place on board flight SQ345 from Zurich to Singapore, operated by a new Airbus A380 aircraft. This event was made possible as a result of the in-flight WiFi connectivity powered by SITAONAIR’s high-speed Internet ONAIR over GX Aviation available on the airline’s A380 aircraft. The in-flight connectivity portal enabled Sky Sports to bring the live in-flight broadcast to television.

The broadcast took place on 18 September ahead of the Singapore Night Race, which took place on 20-22 September at the Marina Bay Street Circuit. Singapore Airlines has been the title sponsor of the racing event since 2014.

Subhas Menon, regional vice president of Europe for Singapore Airlines said: “We are delighted to host the world’s first live broadcast from a commercial A380 flight for a major television channel. It is a great way to celebrate the excitement ahead of the Singapore Night Race. It is a testament to the sophistication of our aircraft and our commitment to innovation that this technological feat could take place.”