On Monday STS Aero Mod announced a big push to fit the Thales inflight wifi connectivity system on aircraft over the next 12 months. It now appears, unfortunately, that some of the details shared by the company and analyzed for PaxEx Premium readers were not accurate. Hopefully the update below helps to clarify some of that information.
IFC
SmartSky appoints David Helfgott as CEO
There’s a new boss in town at SmartSky. David Helfgott takes over as CEO of the company, replacing Haynes Griffin. Griffin will remain as executive chairman at the company as part of the transition.
Thales Wi-Fi installations begin at STS Mod Center in Florida
The next generation of Thales in-flight wifi service installations are underway. The work is being handled by STS Mod Center, a division of STS Aviation Group, at its facility in Melbourne, Florida. STS indicated plans to fit more than 100 aircraft in the coming year for an unnamed customer. Figuring out who it is was not too difficult, though.
ZIPAIR picks Panasonic Avionics for inflight connectivity
When ZIPAIR finally starts carrying passengers they’ll have a familiar option for inflight connectivity on board. The company announced its selection of Panasonic Avionics to power IFC on the 787-8 fleet.
Addressing two major challenges as Intelsat takes over the Gogo commercial aviation business
When it comes to delivering inflight wifi connectivity Intelsat sees significant upside from its ability to operate the network it is acquiring from Gogo mostly in-house. But that network and the install base also come with very real risks related to Delta Air Lines and the ATG fleet. Here’s how Intelsat plans to respond.
A major A321neo IFEC milestone in Hamburg
Getting to line-fit status with an aircraft manufacturer is a tremendous accomplishment for any company. This week one IFEC supplier is celebrating that milestone on the A321neo line in Hamburg.
IFEC executive shuffles worth noting
A pair of executive moves atop satellite connectivity providers could alter the landscape a bit. Both Inmarsat and Intelsat saw changes this week, with one departure and one new arrival.
SmartSky triumphs over Gogo in patent challenge
SmartSky scored a legal victory this week with the US Patent Office declining to institute an inter partes review of U.S. Patent No. 9,312,947 (“the ‘947 patent”), a challenge lodged by Gogo in April. The ruling at this stage is based on the USPTO’s believe that Gogo “has not demonstrated a reasonable likelihood of prevailing in demonstrating that at least one challenged claim of the ’947 patent is unpatentable over the prior art of record.” As a result, the issue won’t even make it to a formal hearing for review.
Gogo tops 1,000 install milestone for AVANCE L5 biz jet wifi solution
Less than three years after the product first took flight, Gogo’s business aviation division reached the 1,000 units installed milestone on its AVANCE L5 inflight wifi connectivity solution. More than 325,000 flights have operated with the system installed since Q4 2017 when the upgraded ATG wifi system became available.
AirAsia pivots away from its airline roots
“We have successfully pivoted from an airline to an all-in-one digital lifestyle company anchored on travel.” This was the key message delivered by AirAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandes as part of the company’s Q2 financial results that showed a 96% drop in quarterly revenue. Airline-related revenue dropped 98% while non-airline revenue, a much smaller portion of the company’s operations, dipped only 55%.