Inmarsat's European Aviation Network (EAN) received approval this week from Belgian telecom authorities for its ground component service. Again. That's good news for the inflight connectivity provider as it works to secure the necessary regulatory approvals across Europe in advance of service launch, still expected later this year. It is a setback for Viasat, Eutelsat, and Panasonic Avionics as they fight the EAN deployment through legal and regulatory battles.
wifi
Viasat 8: The Ocho!
It is just one small line inserted into today's Viasat earnings notes, "... total next-generation IFC system installations to around 200 aircraft across eight commercial airlines." The 200 number is nice, but the eight is more significant.
American Airlines extends Viasat deal to A321neo fleet
American Airlines will take the Viasat Ka-band inflight connectivity solution on its A321neo fleet when deliveries begin in 2019. The 100-aircraft deal was secured in recent weeks and announced by Viasat as part of its quarterly earnings release Thursday afternoon.
An asterisk on Gogo’s improving revenue numbers
Gogo posted better than anticipated numbers for Q2 '18 this morning, giving the company's share price a nice boost in early morning trading, though it has since given back some of the gains. The business aviation segment continues to lead the company's fortunes but some glimmers of success in the commercial segments are showing, too. So long as American Airlines is excluded from all considerations.
Inmarsat starts generating GX airtime revenue, seeks greater agility for growth
Inmarsat reported its first half financial results this morning in London with one surprising bit of data: The GX commercial aviation service finally started generating airtime revenue is Q2 '18, more than a year after entering service on some commercial aircraft.
Connectivity milestones aplenty
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.
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.
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.









