Viasat inflight connectivity (IFC) systems are to be rolled out on select aircraft within the Flexjet fleet. The agreement involves Ka-band and Ku-band solutions.
A high-speed Ka-band service will be provided on the operator’s Embraer Praetor 600 super-midsize fleet, which serves transatlantic and domestic European routes.
On Flexjet’s Bombardier Global and Gulfstream G450 and G650 aircraft, Viasat’s Ku-band IFC service will be enabled, with a path to transition these aircraft to the Ka-band system in the future.
Flexjet will soon take delivery of another Embraer Praetor 600 with Viasat’s Ka-band system. Viasat said the solution provides speeds typically greater than 20Mbps, enabling passengers to enjoy video, music and TV streaming, video calls, browsing, email, VPN and more. The Ka-band service leverages hardware designed to be compact and lightweight, paired with Viasat’s high-capacity satellite network.
Viasat noted that for Flexjet’s G450, G650 and Global aircraft, the Ku Advanced IFC system will offer faster speeds than Flexjet’s prior system. The Ku-band system installations are being handled by MRO partner Constant Aviation. For these larger aircraft, Viasat’s equipment is designed in a way that offers Flexjet an easy upgrade path from Ku-band to Ka-band.
“When we began evaluating IFC partners to improve our existing connectivity, it became clear that Viasat’s products and services would enhance it on more devices across more of our fleet – which will boost the value of our owners’ flight experiences,” said Megan Wolf, chief operating officer at Flexjet. “We also appreciated their satellite roadmap, which would ensure the IFC investments we’re making today will meet the increasing data demands of tomorrow.”
“By working in close partnership with Flexjet, we tailored our solution so they could gain advantages from both our Ku- and Ka-band solutions,” said Claudio D’Amico, Viasat’s business area director for business aviation. “We felt it was critical to work closely with Flexjet to create an IFC solution that was both economically sustainable and technically strong for their long-term commitment needs. We have confidence this deal will lead to a long-standing relationship that will continue to grow as we bring on more global capacity to serve more of Flexjet’s aircraft, in both Europe and the USA.”
