Nextant Aerospace, the engineering arm of Flexjet, has added Bombardier Global 5000/5500 Starlink Inflight Connectivity STC Installation Kits to its growing list of approved STC kits. The system can now be installed via Starlink authorised dealers, which include Bombardier service centres worldwide.
This latest release adds to a growing portfolio of already approved certifications for large-cabin business jets including the Bombardier Global 7500, Global 6500/6000, Global Express and Global Express XRS, and Gulfstream G650, G550, G450 and GIV aircraft.
Developed by SpaceX, the Starlink system enables passengers and crew to access high-speed internet from the moment passengers step on board until the time they land.
“Reliable high-speed internet connectivity for all phases of flight was one of the last significant technology challenges that our industry needed to solve,” said Jay Heublein, president of Flexjet global maintenance and product support. “We recognised early on that the technology developed by Starlink represented an evolutionary step forward for inflight connectivity and as an industry, we could finally offer a solution that was consistent with the expectations our owners have. The feedback from every single person that experiences it has been nothing short of spectacular.”
Starlink provides high-speed, low-latency internet worldwide, utilising a constellation of more than 6,000 Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites. The system provides connectivity over land, water and remote areas. The system uses a phased-array antenna that has no moving parts.
Certification efforts have now shifted to the super-mid and mid-size aircraft categories. Nextant plans to release installation kits for the Bombardier Challenger 3500, 350 and 300, as well as the Embraer Praetor series of aircraft, in the first quarter of 2025. It also plans to immediately follow up with certified installation kits for the Embraer Phenom 300 and 100 series of aircraft by early Q2 2025.
