How Azerbaijan Airlines Deployed Wireless IFE Without Aircraft Modification and Won a PAX Award

Wireless IFE systems stream content to passengers' personal devices over an onboard Wi-Fi network, eliminating the need for seatback screens. Whether a wireless IFE deployment requires a Supplemental Type Certificate depends on the hardware and installation method. The Flymingo Box, Moment's portable battery-powered wireless IFE server, is designed specifically to operate without aircraft modification and without STC, making it deployable across mixed fleets where embedded systems are not an option. Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) selected this approach in 2019 after a competitive tender. By 2023, the airline had progressively equipped its entire short-haul fleet. In April 2026, AZAL won the PAX International Readership Award for Best Inflight Entertainment.

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The challenge: IFE across a mixed fleet with no embedded systems

AZAL is the national flag carrier of Azerbaijan, operating from Baku. In 2024, Heydar Aliyev International Airport served 7.5 million passengers, a 31% year-on-year increase, according to the airport's annual traffic report. AZAL itself carried 4.16 million passengers in 2025, with a fleet of 27 aircraft and an ambition to reach 40+ by 2030.

The competitive context was demanding. Gulf carriers and European majors were intensifying pressure on AZAL's key routes. Rivals were offering modern BYOD IFE on comparable services. Before partnering with Moment, only 5 of AZAL's 27 aircraft had seatback screens. The remaining aircraft relied on shared screens, an experience at odds with the airline's premium positioning and its ambition to attract passengers on factors beyond price.

Installing embedded IFE across a mixed fleet of A319, A320, B757, and A340 would have required separate certification processes for each aircraft type, major cabin modifications, and significant downtime per tail. For an airline in active growth, that approach was neither operationally nor financially viable.

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Why AZAL chose a battery-powered portable IFE server

In 2019, AZAL launched a competitive procurement tender. The requirements were precise: a portable IFE solution with no aircraft modification, no STC, no downtime, and the ability to scale across a heterogeneous fleet from day one.

Moment was selected with the Flymingo Box, a portable, battery-powered wireless IFE server. Battery power was not a transitional choice. It was a deliberate operational decision. A battery-powered unit can be transferred between aircraft at short notice, including wet-leased aircraft temporarily added to the fleet. No aircraft modification means no dependency on a specific tail. For a national carrier in active fleet expansion, that flexibility has direct value: boxes move when the fleet moves, with no installation lead time and no additional certification required.

The COVID-19 pandemic paused the project between 2020 and 2022. Moment maintained the partnership throughout the crisis. The full deployment programme launched in 2023.

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Wireless IFE no STC: how the Flymingo Box rollout worked

Flymingo Box was progressively rolled out across all 14 A319 and A320 aircraft in AZAL's short-haul fleet. Each unit was installed using Moment's proprietary mechanical kit, designed in-house to secure the box in the cabin environment without any structural modification to the aircraft.

The onboard experience is built on Mood, Moment's modular digital platform. Mood handles content delivery, passenger engagement, and onboard monetisation in a single interface, fully branded for Azerbaijan Airlines. Crew training was completed as part of the deployment programme.

In 2025, AZAL activated the adserver module, adding a centralised campaign hub for company and partner advertising directly within the passenger journey. How the full deployment was sequenced across aircraft types, and how Moment managed regional airworthiness coordination in Azerbaijan, is documented in the full case study.

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Measurable passenger impact: 4.2/5 and a PAX Award

The passenger response was direct and measurable. AZAL's own analytics recorded 17,000+ IFE satisfaction ratings in 2025, averaging 4.2 out of 5.

In April 2026, the airline received the PAX International Readership Award for Best Inflight Entertainment, awarded in Hamburg. The recognition confirmed what the data already showed: a consistent, well-received passenger experience delivered across an entire fleet category without a single aircraft modification.

In 2026, AZAL ordered 5 additional Flymingo Box units to support its fleet expansion toward 40+ aircraft by 2030. The deployment model remains unchanged: battery-powered, no STC, transferable between tails.

For aviation operators managing mixed fleets without embedded IFE infrastructure, the AZAL case is a direct operational reference. Portable wireless IFE, no aircraft modification, no STC, and measurable passenger satisfaction from the first flight.

Download the full case study for the complete deployment timeline, the content strategy behind AZAL's 4.2/5 score, and how the partnership scaled from a 2019 tender to a PAX Award in 2026. Available as a PDF.