Air Canada’s newly expanded relationship with Intelsat shows off the power of jointly developing not just a bandwidth map, but partnering on how that service is delivered, to the airline and to passengers on board.
Intelsat
Air Canada expands Intelsat partnership for in-flight Wi-Fi on 737 MAX, regional jets
Updated inflight internet systems are coming to Air Canada’s 737 MAX and regional jets. In total, approximately 100 planes will see Intelsat’s systems installed in the years ahead.
Leadership changes as Intelsat further integrates Commercial Aviation group
Nearly three years after acquiring the Commercial Aviation business of Gogo, Intelsat is further adjusting the group’s structure to better integrate with the rest of its global communications business. As part of the moves the company eliminated the role of President, Commercial Aviation and Jeff Sare has left the organization.
GEO keeps growing for Panasonic Avionics
Panasonic Avionics plans a 50% growth in its GEO satellite network capacity. Alas, the company won’t really share any details beyond that, which raises additional questions.
Eutelsat 10B enters service
Inflight and maritime connectivity secured a boost in capacity from the North Atlantic to the Indian Ocean this week as Eutelsat 10B entered service.
Seeking understanding in the IFC world
No one likes to admit it, but every now and then a deal signed to deliver services for an airline turns sour. But those failures are also typically managed privately, and with minimal sniping between parties. When that veil of propriety is pierced, however, things get interesting in a hurry.
JAL plans boost for inflight Wi-Fi service
Japan Airlines was an early adopter of inflight Wi-Fi internet service on board, and now the airline is ready to upgrade the offering. The company will upgrade approximately 50 aircraft in its “domestic” 737 and 767 fleet to the 2Ku solution from Intelsat.
Testing the next step for LEO-based IFC
On Monday afternoon a CRJ700 landed at Rocky Mountain Metro Airport near Broomfield, Colorado after more than four hours en route from Portland, Maine. Fortunately, no passengers found themselves enduring the “comfort” of that long ride in a little jet. But, thanks to the work happening on board, millions of travelers annually will soon have access to a better inflight Wi-Fi experience.
ThinKom Plus launches, with hybrid LEO/GEO offering
After teasing the details a bit in March, ThinKom formally launched its ThinAir Plus product line at Aircraft Interiors Expo 2023, integrating an ESA into the footprint of its Ka2517 solution. The system touts multi-constellation, multi-orbit, multi-beam connectivity support. The ThinAir Plus terminal is also the first to offer concurrent, multi-band connectivity in a single package.
Air Canada plans more free Wi-Fi with regional jet upgrades
Free Wi-Fi is coming to Air Canada’s region jet fleet. And, unlike the messaging solution recently announced for the mainline flight, this service will be open for browsing, streaming, and more.