United’s newest aircraft type takes flight this week and the CRJ550 interior really is as special as the company has been hyping. Airbus orders and Boeing delays plus some fancy new wifi and upgraded airports on the horizon. Another busy PaxEx week.
Satellite
Premiums poised to skyrocket as Eutelsat investigates anomaly in new 5B satellite
Eutelsat‘s recently launched 5B satellite suffered an incident related to one of its two solar panels. The company issued a brief statement on Thursday indicating it “is working to assess the potential impact on the performance of the satellite and will communicate on it as quickly as possible.” The satellite is slated to replace Eutelsat […]
Viasat, Gulfstream announce STC for inflight wifi on G280
The super-midsize Gulfstream G280 business jet is now certified to carry Viasat’s inflight Ka-band connectivity solution. The two companies announced the receipt of FAA Supplemental Type Certification (STC) for the installation at the NBAA conference in Las Vegas this week.
Gogo sees a clear path to free WiFi on Delta
Often when someone says something is not about the money there’s little doubt that it is entirely about the money. When it comes to delivering free WiFi for all of its passengers, however, Delta Air Lines’ CEO Ed Bastian is probably telling the truth. It is not the cost of the service, but making sure the network can handle the dramatic uptick in demand. For Gogo CEO Oakleigh Thorne the reality is far more nuanced than that, and suggests that it really is just a matter of when, not if, his company can support the load.
OneWeb, Iridium look to partner on LEO-based solutions
Iridium is taking full advantage of its Partners Conference this week to bolster its market position. Following yesterday’s announcement of a major US Department of Defense contract the company announced today a Memorandum of Understanding with LEO upstart OneWeb to see if there are synergies in the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) neighborhood that could allow the two companies to grow better together rather than apart.
SkyFive targets ATG network expansion on a global scale
Riding high on the launch of the European Aviation Network earlier this year, plans are afoot to expand the air-to-ground (ATG) inflight connectivity coverage footprint. Leading that charge is a company few have heard of, in large part because it did not exist until earlier this year. SkyFive, spun off from Nokia's core business, is now running projects in at least three other markets, with one network online for testing today. CEO Thorsten Robrecht spoke with PaxEx.Aero on the sidelines of the World Aviation Festival in London this week, keen to celebrate the early accomplishments with EAN, but also to highlight significant future potential for the technology on a global scale.
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Small Sats get a launch boost from SpaceX, Ariancespace
Cutting the cost for delivering satellites into space is a key factor to increasing capacity and improving coverage in the inflight connectivity market. SpaceX and Arianespace both announced programs today that will help on this front.
Tariffs, 737 MAX, satellite crash hit Astronics earnings
How many different ways can one company get beat up in the inflight entertainment and connectivity market? Astronics faces headwinds in its Aerospace market on three fronts. The 737 MAX grounding has costs on both new production and retrofit efforts, while the loss of Intelsat 29E grounded a connectivity program indefinitely. Add in tariffs related to China suppliers that the company is paying and the numbers are going to be rough in that segment for the foreseeable future.
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Telesat scores major LEO commitment from Canadian government
LEO constellations are going to help revolutionize inflight connectivity, but they’re also very expensive and aviation cannot support the industry alone. Telesat scored a major investment from the Canadian government this week that helps ensure its 298 satellites will take flight.
OneWeb launches high-speed satellite production facility
How does a company get a 650 satellite constellation into operation affordably and before the earliest builds are outdated? Building two a day in a brand new facility should help. Here’s how OneWeb is making it happen.