HAMBURG — Japan Airlines will become “one of the first” carriers in the Asia-Pacific region to offer Intelsat’s Ku-band multi-orbit inflight connectivity to passengers when it starts taking delivery of new Boeing 737 MAX twinjets linefit with the Intelsat electronically steered antenna (ESA)-based solution in 2026. JAL has a firm order with Boeing for 21 737-8 MAX aircraft.
Moreover, in a surprise revelation confirmed here at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg, Intelsat tells Runway Girl Network that it has secured “direct offerability for the Intelsat-branded ESA antenna and IFC system” subject to the usual qualification process with Boeing. This means that the antenna, modem and all the aircraft provisions needed to support that hardware (cables, narrowed antenna mount) will be installed in the Boeing factory and that Intelsat multi-orbit IFC will be included in Boeing’s catalog.
The low-profile, lightweight Intelsat ESA is based on mature electronically scanned array antenna technology from Ball Aerospace (now BAE Systems), and leverages design and integration partner, Stellar Blu Solutions’ modular package.
Whilst we have reported extensively on Stellar Blu’s work to directly obtain linefit offerability at Boeing for its Sidewinder-branded ESA, Intelsat’s own direct approach with the airframer — coupled with its ability to power the service with a fleet of 58 geostationary (GEO) satellites and partner Eutelsat OneWeb’s Low Earth Orbit (LEO) service — is a remarkable achievement in a short period of time, and positions Intelsat to secure strong content on Boeing aircraft in the coming years. In time, these accomplishments will be a feather in satellite operator SES’s cap, as SES has announced plans to acquire Intelsat.
Regarding the JAL deal specifically, Intelsat says in a published statement:
The new service will be installed by Boeing in the factory, making JAL one of the first airlines to take delivery of a Boeing aircraft with ESA inflight service ready for immediate passenger use
Stellar Blu could not be immediately reached for comment on its own direct Boeing offerability work for Sidewinder with BAE subarrays. But Intelsat’s revelation begs the question of Panasonic Avionics’ next steps, as it too is pursuing multi-orbit GEO/LEO IFC for its nextgen product, inclusive of Eutelsat OneWeb service, and is using Stellar Blu’s Sidewinder, which it has branded as Diamondback.
Panasonic previously indicated that it isn’t too terribly pressed about who has ownership of the ESA hardware linefit approvals and supplemental type certification (STC) processes. The IFEC giant is all too familiar with the significant costs associated with achieving catalog offerability, having many years ago secured the same at Boeing for its legacy GEO-focused IFC solution, inclusive of gimbaled antenna, as it worked to fill the void left by the shuttering of Connexion by Boeing. That offerability helped Panasonic secure thousands of aircraft tails for its gimbaled solution.
Intelsat senior vice president for commercial aviation Dave Bijur says in reference to JAL’s decision to tap Intelsat for multi-orbit IFC on more than 20 737 MAX twinjets that: “Japan Airlines’ passengers will soon benefit from multi-orbit connectivity that will provide the same fast and dependable internet access they enjoy at home, thanks to wide coverage and low latency. JAL was Intelsat’s first non-US commercial aviation customer, and we look forward to continuing to support JAL’s market-leading inflight connectivity service in Japan where their guests enjoy free service.”
JAL is indeed a longtime customer of Intelsat (formerly Gogo’s) Ku-band GEO satellite-powered IFC. The carrier’s Boeing 737s and 767s are flying with Intelsat’s 2Ku service, based on ThinKom’s Ku3030 VICTS antenna hardware, whilst JAL’s subsidiary airline, J-AIR, is currently installing 2Ku on its fleet of Embraer E190 aircraft. J-AIR is expected to complete installation of the 2Ku system on 14 E190s in the coming months. Intelsat 2Ku, incidentally, continues to win meaningful awards, with Intelsat also announcing today that Condor Airlines is bringing 2Ku to its Airbus narrowbodies.
Intelsat, meanwhile, calls JAL “one of the first” Boeing linefit customers for its multi-orbit IFC, as it has also secured other customers. To date, the satellite operator and aero ISP has announced it is bringing ESA connectivity to Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Air Canada and Aerolíneas Argentinas. Installs on regional jets are expected to start this summer on Alaska, in time to support multi-orbit IFC this fall, when Eutelsat OneWeb’s LEO service is expected to go live. Notably, Intelsat has worked to secure STC for the first Intelsat ESA-fitted aircraft, its CRJ700 testbed aircraft.
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Featured image credited to Boeing/Japan Airlines