Applications
Gamco to install satellite TV systems on Kingfisher Airlines‘ Airbus A320
MUMBAI: The Gulf Aircraft Maintenance Company (Gamco) is currently installing an advanced on-board satellite television system for India‘s Kingfisher Airlines‘ Airbus A320 aircraft. Gamco installed the Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS) system on the first Kingfisher aircraft early this year and will complete work on the first batch of the airline‘s A320s this month. |
“This is an industry-first for Gamco in Asia. Kingfisher is the first airline in Asia and the second in the world to install on-board satellite television on Airbus A320, and all of us in Gamco are very proud that this was done at our facilities in Abu Dhabi by our engineers and technicians,” Gamco CEO Saif Al Mughairy said. In-flight entertainment for passengers has until recently focused on a menu of films, pre-recorded television programs and music. DBS systems enable aircraft to receive signals directly to provide passengers access to a full spectrum of satellite video and audio programming. The system installed on Kingfisher aircraft will enable passengers to receive 16 television channels distributed to each passenger seat via the in-flight entertainment system. |
“For Gamco, this involved getting the support and cooperation of specialist companies supplying the avionics equipment such as Thales, Rockwell Collins and Armstrong Aerospace, and approvals from regulatory authorities such as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the United States and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in India, who have all put their stamp of confidence on Gamco‘s technological capabilities,” Al Mughairy said. “When Kingfisher chose Gamco to install the system, our challenge was to carry out the necessary modifications and test the system to obtain the Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) clearance for our customer. We achieved it without any difficulty, reinforcing our ability to offer innovative services for the aviation industry,” he added. Gamco secured the contract to install the DBS system along with another agreement signed with Kingfisher last November to provide maintenance support for the entire Airbus A320s and A319 fleet. |
Applications
With 57 per cent single new users, Ashley Madison rebrands as discreet dating platform
Platform says majority of new members now identify as single
INDIA: Ashley Madison is shedding the “married-dating” label that defined it for two decades, repositioning itself as a platform for discreet dating in what it calls the post-social media age.
The rebrand, unveiled in India on 27 February, 2026, marks a structural shift in business model and identity. Once synonymous with married dating, the company now describes itself as the “premier destination for discreet dating” under a new tagline: Where Desire Meets Discretion.
The pivot is data-driven. Internal figures show that 57 per cent of global sign-ups between 1 January and 31 December, 2025 identified as single: a notable departure from the platform’s married core. The company argues that its community has already evolved beyond its original positioning.
“In an age where our lives have been constantly put on public display, privacy has become the new luxury,” said Ashley Madison chief strategy officer Paul Keable. He framed the platform’s offering as “ethical discretion” for singles, separated, divorced and non-monogamous users seeking private connections.
The shift also taps into wider digital fatigue. A global survey conducted by YouGov for Ashley Madison, covering 13,071 adults across Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US, found mounting discomfort with hyper-public online lives.
Among dating app users, 30 per cent cited constant swiping and messaging as a source of fatigue, while 24 per cent pointed to pressure to curate public-facing profiles and early personal disclosure. Some 27 per cent said fears of screenshots or information being shared contributed to exhaustion; an equal share cited unwanted attention.
The retreat from oversharing appears broader. According to the survey, 46 per cent of adults actively try to keep most aspects of their life private online. Only 8 per cent feel comfortable sharing most aspects publicly, while 35 per cent say they are becoming more selective about what they disclose.
Ashley Madison is betting that this cultural recalibration towards controlled visibility can be monetised. By doubling down on privacy infrastructure and reframing itself around discretion rather than infidelity, the company is attempting to convert reputational baggage into a premium proposition.
