Aerolíneas Argentinas has selected Intelsat’s multi-orbit inflight connectivity solution for 18 aircraft, comprising Airbus A330 and Boeing 737 MAX twinjets.
The Argentinian flag carrier represents Intelsat’s fourth customer in Latin America and its first in the region for its new electronically steered antenna (ESA). This is also Intelsat’s first widebody win for its low-profile ESA, which is less than seven centimeters tall.
Under the arrangement, all aircraft will be retrofitted with the ESA and other requisite IFC hardware, powering what Intelsat assures will be an at-home experience in the sky. Financial terms have not been disclosed.
Engineered in partnership with Stellar Blu Solutions and incorporating Ball Aerospace’s modular scalable subarrays, the multi-orbit Intelsat ESA will transmit data via Intelsat’s GEO satellites as well as OneWeb’s Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellation, for which Intelsat is a service distribution partner in aero.
Asked when the kit will be installed, an Intelsat spokesperson tells RGN: “We will collaborate with Aerolíneas Argentinas in 2024 and expect to have production installations underway in 2025. It’s too soon to say which fleet type will go first, but we are pleased to be putting our ESA on our first widebody jet, the Airbus A330.”
“Aerolíneas Argentinas’ passengers will soon benefit from multi-orbit connectivity that will provide the same fast and dependable internet access they enjoy at home,” says Dave Bijur, Intelsat’s senior vice president for Commercial Aviation.
“Intelsat’s partnerships with innovative Latin American airlines highlight how the region’s carriers are leading the way when it comes to the most advanced connectivity.”
Supplemental type certification (STC) work is understood to be underway for both the A330 and MAX aircraft. These will need to be validated by Argentina’s ANAC civil aviation administration.
Aeromexico and LATAM are among Intelsat’s other customers in the region, sporting Intelsat’s 2Ku broadband connectivity solution.
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- Alaska picks Intelsat multi-orbit satcom for E175s, in industry first
Featured image credited to Intelsat
