Just how many aircraft carry inflight connectivity hardware? And which kit?? A pair of announcements this week gives greater insight into which kit is where and how the market is shifting, rapidly in some cases. Not that installation number 1000 matters more than number 999, of course. Yet somehow it does. Just a little.
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UON gets real, adds coverage with Eutelsat
The UON inflight connectivity service from Saudi Arabia’s Taqnia Space will offer service from Europe to Asia thanks to a new deal with Eutelsat to add Ku-band capacity. The deal brings Ku-band widebeam coverage spanning Europe, the Middle East and South Asia plus an additional HTS transponder with coverage flexibility. The company is scaling up strong, but will it be enough to succeed in a crowded market?
[PR] A new head for Thales InFlyt Experience
Thales InFlyt has a new boss. Philippe Carette takes over from Dominique Giannoni to run the IFE/C portion of the company effective immediately.
Finnair launches wifi on European fleet
Finnair joins the rapidly growing collection of European airlines offering inflight internet connectivity on its regional flights. Thanks to Viasat and Eutelsat passengers can now connect on some flights with more aircraft coming online over the coming year.
Loose ELT antenna impacts 2Ku deployments
Earlier this month EASA issued an Airworthiness Directive affecting certain of Gogo’s 2Ku inflight connectivity installations. Air vortices created by the 2Ku radome cause excessive vibration in the ELT antenna, potentially shaking it loose or causing structural issues in the fuselage. Fortunately the issue was discovered relatively quickly, the number of aircraft affected is low and a revised installation process is expected to be in place in the near future.
Gogo 2020 program aims for massive cost cuts
Gogo plans significant cost cuts as it seeks to shore up its financial position. Facing a financing crunch the company's "Gogo 2020" business plan unveiled this week will see hundreds of millions of dollars cut from cost side of the balance sheet as jobs and programs are dropped from the company.
KLM gets its 2Ku on, too
Nearly two years after the deal was announced the Gogo 2Ku hardware is beginning to show up on KLM aircraft. A pair of A330-300s now carry the kit. The service is not yet active for travelers, but that’s coming soon enough.
Operating in a partnership Spirit
The launch of inflight wifi connectivity on Spirit Airlines presents many questions about the business model associated with that deal. Earlier this month, on the sidelines of the IATA Annual General Meeting in Sydney, Dominique Giannoni, CEO of Thales InFlyt, spoke about the arrangement and why just focusing on the contract terms doesn't really answer the bigger questions around how the service will operate and prove profitable to both parties.
[PR] Gogo AVANCE L5 Flying on 200th Business Jet
More solid performance from the Gogo BizAv segment with the new AVANCE L5 kit deploying quickly. Of significant note is that more than 60% of the AVANCE L5 installs are new installs, not just upgrades from existing kit. As competition heats up in the BizAv segment securing those aircraft now is a big win for Gogo.
Viasat committed to global coverage, even without partners
Partners are important. But Viasat is not deterred by its lack of partners when it comes to developing the global ViaSat-3 constellation of Ka-band satellite connectivity. Indeed, the wait while searching for a partner on one of the satellites may prove beneficial when it finally launches.