Though SpaceX’s Starlink Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satcom-focused inflight connectivity has enjoyed strong talkability — with SpaceX saying it has 1,000-plus aircraft commitments, including WestJet’s fleet — Intelsat feels that the momentum “is already on our side” for its multi-orbit LEO/GEO solution in commercial aviation.
“We have more orders than Starlink does,” head of commercial aviation Dave Bijur revealed to Runway Girl Network. “I think we have more orders than any providers over the last 12 months.”
That means that Intelsat’s prior 800-tail backlog for multi-orbit IFC has grown via undisclosed customers. Bijur confirmed only that there has been a change, noting that Intelsat has made “great progress” with the Boeing linefit program.
Intelsat is a partner to Stellar Blu Solutions, which holds a separate technical service agreement (TSA) with Boeing to gain linefit offerability for its Sidewinder electronically steered antenna (ESA) package in support of multi-orbit IFC. Stellar Blu is being acquired by Gilat Satellite Networks, which is eyeing an early Q4 timeframe for closing.
Japan Airlines is the first publicly announced Boeing linefit customer for Intelsat multi-orbit IFC using this hardware, with 737 MAXs expected to start arriving factory-fit with the kit in 2026.
Though Intelsat is allowing airline customers to lead their messaging around the launch of their new respective Wi-Fi services, Bijur reckons we’ll see “concurrent or close to it” activities, with production installs “by the fall” at customers Alaska Airlines, Air Canada and American Airlines.
Some fitted airplanes could fly with the service soon. Indeed, PaxEx.aero is reporting that the first fitted CRJ700 at American is back in service, though it’s not yet clear if the Wi-Fi is active. (Intelsat tested the multi-orbit solution aboard its own CRJ700 testbed, pictured, and secured supplemental type certification.)
Geostationary (GEO) satellite capacity is indeed expected to be used initially to support onboard Internet for Intelsat’s airline customers, with Eutelsat OneWeb LEO service added at the end of the year, according to Bijur.
“I think things get interesting; we’re about to get into the thick of these deliveries, so we have a lot of airplanes to deal with in a very short period of time. Once the Oneweb service gets kicked off, it’s a very exiting thing.”
For some frequent flyers, these multi-orbit IFC installs can’t come soon enough. During recent roundtrips involving RJs flown by Air Canada, American, and Delta, RGN contributor Jason Rabinowitz bemoaned the legacy Intelsat-managed (formerly Gogo) air-to-ground connectivity, finding it no longer fit for purpose.
The ATG system on Delta’s RJs, meanwhile, will be replaced with Hughes Network Systems’ high-capacity Ka-band GEO satcom service, as supported by the ThinKom Solutions Ka1717 VICTS antenna.
Intelsat showcased the multi-orbit ESA at this year’s Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg. This is the kit being installed on aircraft now. Image: Mary Kirby
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- WestJet pivots to Starlink to support free Wi-Fi for loyalty members
- American wows with blazing fast Wi-Fi on Intelsat 2Ku-fitted A319s
- Intelsat makes the case for multi-orbit IFC versus LEO-only
- Gilat to acquire Stellar Blu Solutions as part of IFC growth strategy
- Panasonic multi-orbit IFC nears entry into airframer linefit catalogs
- Japan Airlines taps linefit Intelsat multi-orbit IFC for 737 MAX jets
Featured image credited to Stellar Blu Solutions
