Viasat sees entire Ka fleet supporting Royal Jordanian IFC in time

Royal Jordanian Airlines, which is in the midst of a fleet renewal and expansion project, has partnered with Viasat to provide inflight connectivity (IFC) on over 40 aircraft. The Ka-band GEO satellite-supported IFC solution will be linefit-installed at the factory on the carrier’s forthcoming new Embraer E2, Airbus A320neo family and Boeing 787-9 twinjets. The airline also plans to retrofit its current 787-8 widebody fleet with the kit.

Financial terms have not been disclosed. But Viasat reveals to Runway Girl Network that the IFC service on Royal Jordanian “will be enabled for the entire ViaSat-1 (including KA-SAT over Europe), -2, -3 class network and GX networks as those satellites are made available” supporting the carrier’s inflight connectivity mission “today and into the future”.

Viasat’s current ViaSat-1, ViaSat-2 and KA-SAT satellite assets, and its current-gen antenna hardware can ably provide high-capacity Ka-band IFC service on many of Amman-based Royal Jordanian’s routes, which are heavily concentrated in the Middle East, Europe and North Africa.

But Viasat has also been working closely with industry partners to develop compatible antennas for the full Viasat constellation of satellites, inclusive of the GX network it acquired when it bought London-headquartered Inmarsat last year. Whilst it hasn’t yet formally announced its selection, or indeed an upgrade path for current customers, the company is clearly now inking deals with the whole fleet in mind. That could prove important for Royal Jordanian’s 787s, specifically; these twinjets fly long-haul including to Bangkok, where Viasat would need to tap either its current GX capacity and/or future high-capacity ViaSat-3 APAC satellite should Royal Jordanian opt to offer IFC on this route.

The Wi-Fi “will be available on various flight routes in the Middle East region and beyond, with the Embraer E2 fleet handling short-haul flights, the Airbus A320 family aircraft serving medium-haul routes, and the Boeing 787s continuing to fly Royal Jordanian Airlines’ long-haul routes”, notes Viasat. The first Wi-Fi-equipped aircraft for Royal Jordanian, a new Embraer E2, will arrive by the end of this month.

“We are committed to providing our passengers with a superior in-flight experience,” says Royal Jordanian vice chairman and board designee CEO Samer Majali in a statement. “By introducing high-speed streaming Wi-Fi on our new fleets, and even installing it on some aircraft of our existing fleet, we are enabling state-of-the-art connectivity while in-flight, and providing passengers with an enhanced and curated entertainment experience.”

The carrier currently offers Bluebox’s portable wireless IFE solution on a number of aircraft types.

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Featured image of Royal Jordanian E2 provided by Viasat