IFE operator Gogo endorses satellite leasing
May 10, 2017
By Chris Forrester
Gogo, which supplies in-flight connectivity and video entertainment to airline passengers, says it is quite happy to continue leasing capacity for its services from satellite operators.
Speaking to investors, Gogo’s CEO Michael Small, that a recent major capacity order with satellite operator SES was not an indication that Gogo wished to follow two of its competitors which had – in one way or another – had either bought an old satellite (Global Eagle Entertainment’s renamed Eagle-1) or specified a custom-built satellite payload (Panasonic Avionics).
“We have the ability to get capacity [and this includes] leasing capacity when we need it, where we need it and in the amount we need, which is by far the efficient way to acquire capacity versus buying a whole bunch up front by owning a satellite and then having to fill it, or having to architect where the capacity may go way in advance,” Small added, and as reported by trade mag Space News.
Gogo in April announced it was leasing all of the capacity on an SES craft (AMC-4) and which SES would now move to a new – as yet unspecified – orbital slot in order to serve Gogo over the Pacific Ocean. The new position would serve passengers on aircraft routes between Sydney, Honolulu and Sao Paulo.
Gogo’s latest data shows that it is serving close to 3000 commercial aircraft, and another 4300 business aircraft.