Satellite-based internet service is now installed on the first regional jet for Delta Air Lines. The plane, fitted with the Hughes Networks Ka-band offering returned to service last week, kicking of the push to convert all of the carrier’s regional jets to the new system before the legacy air-to-ground network goes offline, expected at the end of the year.
Delta and Hughes announced their deal for the regional jet fleet in November 2023. At one point the companies anticipated the installation completing in 2024. That timeline slipped, but with the first plane fitted and now back in service the companies can move forward with the rest of the fleet.
The progress was confirmed during a Q&A session between Glenn Latta, Delta’s Managing Director Inflight Entertainment & Connectivity and Reza Rasoulian from Hughes at Satellite 2025 in Washington, DC.
In a separate conversation at the conference ThinKom CTO Bill Milroy confirmed that his company has delivered more than 300 ship sets of the terminal hardware to Hughes for installation under the program. That should allow Hughes and Delta to complete the installations at their desired pace.
The CRJ-700, N398CA, arrived in Detroit for the installation work on 28 February 2025. It emerged on 8 March and returned to service. It has since flown a number of out-and-back routes from Atlanta each day.
Latta and Rasoulian also spoke about the companies’ expanded partnership for the Hughes Fusion offering, confirming that the 717s will be installed first, later this year. That installation will include a ThinKom VICTS antenna as well as the Hughes ESA for commercial aviation. Rasoulian previously confirmed that the agreement includes “certain options in our approach with Delta that provides flexibility in the [Outside Aircraft Equipment] solution” to install the hardware as appropriate based on availability, certification, and other timing factors.
Based on the timing of the Hughes ESA availability and the 717 schedule it is now clear that the initial installations will not include both antennae under the same radome as a ThinAir Plus installation.
Rasoulian shared with PaxEx.Aero in October 2024 that the ESA was expected to be available in H1 2025 (note: This is not the HDX ESA that Gogo just qualified for PMA nor the FDX that will also fly with Gogo, but a third also-full-duplex-model specific for commercial aero). Given additional requirements for integration and testing the H2 2025 target for the 717s makes sense. But only as separate installations.
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