With Astronics cutting exposure to the inflight connectivity antenna business some commercial aircraft products are likely looking for new partners. That’s bad news for airlines hoping to see new tech flying soon.
business aviation
When good planes have to die: Scrapping an A380 and Lineage 1000E
Why scrap a perfectly good airplane? Whether an extremely large or reasonably small aircraft, the reasoning often is the same: Money. Images from the past couple weeks showing an A380 and Embraer Legacy 1000 headed to die raised questions and emotions about just how well the process works.
Final piece of Bombardier’s restructuring puzzle: Aerostructures sold to Spirit AeroSystems
The final phase of Bombardier’s aviation business restructuring is approaching the finish line. The company announced today a definitive agreement to sell its aerostructures business to Spirit AeroSystems. The deal includes facilities in Belfast, Casablanca and Dallas. Spirit will pay $500 million in cash and assume liabilities in excess of $700 million as part of the deal.
Gogo builds partnerships for 5G network development
Gogo’s upcoming 5G ATG network will require partnerships for a successful buildout. Today at NBAA in Las Vegas the inflight connectivity company announced three companies that will play key roles in developing the technology used by the service. Cisco, Airspan Networks, and FIRST RF Corp. each will provide necessary elements to Gogo’s 5G solution for aviation.
Embraer and Flexjet sign for 64 new biz jets
Embraer’s Praetor 500/600 family of jets was quick to move from announcement to certification and now to inclusion in a fractional biz jet fleet. That they are available from the factory fitted with high wpeed inflight wifi from Viasat is an added bonus.
Mitsubishi’s SpaceJet buys Bombardier’s support
We are mere months away from the production of the final CRJ passenger jet. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) announced this morning a deal to acquire Bombardier’s regional jet program, bringing it to a close as the SpaceJet will take its place.
A push for market liberalization in the Caribbean
Can cooperation and market liberalization beat out protectionist interests in the Caribbean? The 2019 Caribavia conference wasted little time in bringing that question to the forefront. With representatives from airlines, tourism boards, regulators and governments gathered together in Sint Maarten the scene was set for a lively debate. Core to the discussion was the question […]
Viasat adds 18-inch Ka-band terminal to business jet offerings
Inflight connectivity provider Viasat has a new, larger antenna now available for the business aviation market. The Ka-band Global Aero Terminal (GAT-5518) offers an 18-inch, dual axis antenna for Ka-band communications covering the company’s satellites in the Americas, Europe and Australia. The kit is future-compatible with the ViaSat-3 constellation that will provide global coverage early […]
Viasat’s inflection point
Massive expansion costs are set to give way to recurring revenue growth. That is the message Viasat delivered as it issued is most recent earnings numbers this week. Even as the company pushes forward with the build-out of its new ViaSat-3 constellation with dramatically more bandwidth and geographic coverage, it hopes to convert the existing capacity into new deals and new subscribers, with a significant push into new inflight connectivity markets, among other areas.
Bits and bobs from EBACE 2019
The annual Geneva gathering of the Business Aviation world known as EBACE is once again underway. The event is a showcase for aircraft manufactures and third party suppliers to highlight their new offerings and features for the private jet travel industry. This year’s show includes incremental updates in the inflight connectivity and entertainment segment, as well as fun new interiors and even progress towards sustainability.