Over 100 business jets now flying with Inmarsat-Honeywell high-speed wifi solution

Inmarsat (ISAT.L) and Honeywell (NYSE: HON) have reached a major milestone with the 100th installation of the JetWave™ system, which powers Jet ConneX, the only high-speed, global inflight Wi-Fi service for the business aviation industry available today.

This rapid adoption is attributed to forward-thinking manufacturers, maintenance professionals and owners/operators, who were unhappy with previous connectivity options and believed in the Inmarsat-Honeywell solution. More than 150 business jet installations are expected by the end of this year.

Customers that have adopted this solution are a “who’s who” of the biggest names in aviation, from Airbus and Boeing to Bombardier, Dassault, Embraer and Gulfstream. Each is using Inmarsat’s advanced Ka-band high-throughput satellite service, Jet ConneX, with Honeywell’s JetWave hardware to offer data plans with up to 15 Mbps and consistent global coverage. This allows passengers and operators to enjoy Wi-Fi that is just as good as they are used to at home or in the office.

Honeywell, Inmarsat and their installation partners have received more than 25 type certificate and supplemental type certificate (STC) approvals for JetWave from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to date across 24 platforms. The two companies are securing an additional nine STCs for five other platforms in the coming months, meaning Jet ConneX will be available for installation on over 29 business jet platforms.

Kurt Weidemeyer, Vice President of Business Aviation at Inmarsat, said: “Manufacturers, maintenance houses and operators saw the value of a reliable, global, high-speed Wi-Fi solution early on and began STC programmes well in advance of Jet ConneX’s service launch. Equal credit goes to the maintenance directors and avionics leads who offered up aircraft for the long and expensive STC process. It’s because of these forward thinkers that we’re in such a great position. Together, Inmarsat and Honeywell have redefined cutting edge in the industry.”

Warren Nechtman, Vice President of Connectivity Equipment at Honeywell Aerospace, said: “Honeywell has seen major interest and rapid adoption of our JetWave system for Connected Aircraft over the past year. Flight departments and passengers clearly want better inflight connectivity for everything from live-streaming football games to holding videoconferences at 30,000 feet. Honeywell and Inmarsat’s Ka-band technology is improving the quality of air travel for thousands of people.”

Platforms Supported by JetWave and Jet ConneX:

1. Bombardier: Called Bombardier WAVE, the Jet ConneX solution is the preferred line-fit option on Bombardier business jet aircraft and can be installed on all Bombardier Global models.
2. Dassault: Line-fit option on Dassault Falcon business jets including new Falcon 900LX, Falcon 7X, Falcon 8X and Falcon 5X business jets. For existing Dassault customers, Jet ConneX is available on the Falcon 7X, Falcon 2000 and Falcon 900 Series aircraft.
3. Embraer: Line-fit option on Embraer Lineage 1000E executive jets starting in early 2018.
4. Gulfstream: The only global, high-speed Wi-Fi option available for Gulfstream aircraft today. It has already been installed on over 35 Gulfstream G650 jets, only a few months after achieving installation approval for the aircraft with more than 50 additional installs expected on G650s this year alone. As well, line-fit availability for the G450 and 550 will occur over the next three months.
5. Boeing: Boeing Business Jet customers are benefiting from accelerated install options like the Two-In-One (TIO) tail-mounted radome as well as STCs from our aftermarket installation and modification centre partners on the 737BBJ, 737-700, 737-900 and 777-200, with several additional platforms receiving approval over the coming months.
6. Airbus: Airbus Corporate Jets’ Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul groups were on the cutting edge of Jet ConneX adoption with several aftermarket centres completing certifications earlier this year on the A319, A320, A330-200, A340-200 and A340-500.