Beginning October 2016, Lufthansa short- and medium-haul aircraft will offer internet on board. Lufthansa Technik became the first MRO company in Europe to receive the Supplemental Type Certificate from the EASA, allowing the airline to install a Ka-band antenna on the Airbus A320 family, including A319, A320 and A321 aircraft. The entire A320 family should have the innovative technology on board by mid-2018. The first aircraft was equipped this month and will be tested in the coming weeks for functionality and stability, with passengers able to use the service in October. Other Lufthansa Group airlines will follow. Lufthansa Technik is responsible for installing all systems and components, as well as the installation of the works required to comply with aeronautical and statutory regulations. The service, from Lufthansa and technology partner Immarsat, is based on the latest broadband satellite technology, Ka-band. Offering seamless, reliable coverage on short- to medium-haul flights, passengers access basic surfing and email, as well as streaming video. At a later date, passengers will be able to use cell phones to SMS text and data transfer. This marks the first successful installation involving the GX communications network in Europe. Modifications were required both inside and outside of the aircraft and were integrated into the infrastructure to be virtually invisible to passengers and easy to maintain by cabin crew. Lufthansa carried out the world’s first flight with broadband internet in January 2003. The service was discontinued in 2006 because the Connexion by Boeing satellites ceased commercial operations. In December 2010, Lufthansa became the first airline to provide broadband internet access on intercontinental flights. Since July 2015, FlyNet has been offered on all 107 long-haul aircraft in the Lufthansa fleet, with the airline offering the world’s largest internet-connected long-haul fleet.