Inflight entertainment and connectivity (IFEC) took center stage during the APEX FTE Asia Expo 2025, held on November 11-12. The expo highlighted the industry’s growing emphasis on next generation passenger experience. Airlines and technology leaders emphasized the increasing importance of multi-orbit connectivity, LEO constellations, and evolving inflight entertainment IFE systems. These are now seen as foundational elements of future cabin design and truly seamless end-to-end travel. Following the panel “IFEC Innovation: Taking inflight entertainment and connectivity to new heights – opportunities and challenges,” we spoke with Victor Brault, Senior Advisor, Airline Accounts at SES to explore the ideas he presented on stage. Our conversation reinforced a clear takeaway: connectivity is no longer optional; it is essential for personalization, operational effectiveness, and a more engaging passenger journey.
Satellite World (SW): From your perspective, what were the most important themes or takeaways from APEX FTE Asia Expo 2025?
Victor Brault (VB): Airlines are paying close attention to the future of the passenger experience and come to the show with a strong focus on technology and innovation.
IFE systems remain an essential part of the cabin and will continue to play a major role in future aircraft design, especially for widebody fleets.
New connectivity solutions will further enhance the inflight experience and introduce a new dimension to onboard entertainment.
SW: Passenger experience emerged as a major theme this year. How do you see connectivity — including multi-orbit approaches — fitting into the broader push for a more seamless end-to-end journey?
VB: Inflight connectivity (IFC) is here to stay. The introduction of new satellite constellations in LEO orbits and the arrival of flat-panel antennas represent two of the most important developments in the IFC space.
Most airlines attending APEX FTE now have a solid understanding of the IFC market and are shaping their plans for the next gen of aircraft.
The IFC solution — and the move toward multi-orbit approaches — will enable airlines to differentiate and create their own experiences. A key example is the airline app, which many passengers use on their personal devices. This opens new possibilities for airlines to interact with customers, collect data, push contextualized content, advertising, and offers.
These elements will help airlines deliver a more “seamless” travel experience.
SW: Your panel, “IFEC Innovation: Taking inflight entertainment and connectivity to new heights,” highlighted opportunities and challenges in the next phase of IFEC. Could you share any insights or discussions that stood out?
VB: The panel focused on the links between IFE and IFC. The IFE sector — including content providers — will need to adapt to support the future of IFC, especially as streaming capabilities become available to most passengers. This raises important questions, such as inflight rights for common streaming apps on passengers’ personal devices. We also discussed that the inflight industry can take inspiration from other sectors such as hospitality, tourism, and conference centers, where Wi-Fi hotspots and content availability have evolved significantly.
Finally, airlines will always bring their own personal, human touch to differentiate themselves — for example, Fiji Airways with its local F&B offering, or Air Astana using local artists to design amenity kits.
SW: As aircraft operations rely more heavily on high-throughput, real-time data, how do you see the relationship between airlines and connectivity providers evolving?
VB: Connectivity providers will continue to deliver more bandwidth using a broader range of space-based assets.
For aircraft operators, real-time data creates opportunities for cost savings and operational optimization. OEMs and hardware providers will also move in this direction and offer even more data-driven services in the future.
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