Honeywell and Inmarsat are celebrating the 100th installation of the JetWave system, which powers Jet ConneX, claimed to be the only high-speed, global, in-flight wi-fi service for the business aviation industry. According to the companies, more than 150 business jet installations are anticipated before the end of 2017 across Boeing, Airbus, Bombardier, Dassault, Gulfstream and Embraer aircraft.
Customers are offered data plans with up to 15Mbps and consistent global coverage, enabled by Honeywell’s JetWave hardware and Inmarsat’s Ka-band high-throughput satellite network, Jet ConneX. Honeywell, Inmarsat and their installation partners have received more than 25 type certificate and supplemental type certificate (STC) approvals for JetWave from the FAA and 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 more than 29 business jet platforms.
According to Inmarsat, manufacturers, maintenance houses and operators began STC programs well in advance of the Jet ConneX service launch, while the directors of maintenance and avionics leads offered up aircraft early for the long and expensive STC process. “It’s because of these forward thinkers that we’re in such a great position,” said Kurt Weidemeyer, vice president for business aviation at Inmarsat.
