Airbus announced plans to add the Chinese Spacesail (Qianfan) LEO constellation to its HPCplus portfolio, opening the door to conversations about how else it might end up in service for airlines.
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Ryanair Ready for Wi-Fi, Refuses to Pay For It
As Elon Musk and Michael O’Leary trade barbs online over potential inflight internet offerings the Ryanair boss is clear: He wants internet on the planes, so long as he doesn’t have to pay for it.
Lufthansa Group Shifts 850 Aircraft to Starlink
Lufthansa Group will fit its entire fleet with Starlink’s inflight internet service, adding another 850-ish planes to the SpaceX backlog, with the first aircraft expected to be online by the end of the year.
Etihad Expands Viasat Inflight Internet Commitment
For the past few years Etihad has been rolling out Viasat’s inflight internet service on its new aircraft. This week the carrier confirmed it will shift its connectivity portfolio fully to Viasat’s Amara multi-orbit offering.
CesiumAstro Scores Skylark Terminal Testing Agreement with TCI
Antenna manufacturer CesiumAstro is moving towards on-wing testing of its Skylark inflight phased array terminal, thanks to an agreement with TCI Aircraft Interiors.
ViaSat-3 Americas (Take 2) launches successfully
ViaSat-3 F2 is safely on its way to geosynchronous orbit, and CEO Mark Dankberg has some thoughts about what the future of satellite communications, with his company’s constellations playing a large role.
Axinom Boosts Streaming IFE on Starlink Aircraft
Faster satellite links and lower latency allows airlines to move streaming entertainment solutions off the aircraft and into the cloud. Axinom is helping boost that performance.
Saudia Nears Inflight Connectivity Launch
Saudia’s latest inflight Wi-Fi service is (nearly) ready to go live, following a public test flight with airline executives earlier this week.
Gogo Begins 5G Flight Testing
Inflight testing of the new Gogo 5G network launched last week, kicking off the campaign to validate operation and functionality.
SkyFive Scores India Inflight Internet License
India’s role in the aviation world continues to grow, including options for inflight internet thanks to a license recently issued to SkyFive.