Advanced Television

ViaSat secures Flexjet deal

June 21, 2021

By Chris Forrester

ViaSat has agreed a contract to equip fractional jet ownership business Flexjet’s fleet with ViaSat’s In Flight Connectivity and broadband entertainment system (IFC).

“This partnership,” says ViaSat, “is two-fold: it will provide Viasat’s high-speed Ka-band IFC service on Flexjet’s Embraer Praetor 600 super-mid cabin fleet, which serves transatlantic and domestic European routes; additionally, the partnership will provide Viasat’s Ku-band IFC service to Flexjet’s Bombardier Global and Gulfstream G450 and G650 aircraft with a path to transition these aircraft to Viasat’s Ka-band system in the future.

Flexjet says it will soon take delivery of another Embraer Praetor 600 with Viasat’s Ka-band system, making it the first fractional private jet operator to deliver a high-speed connectivity solution in the super-mid category.

With Viasat, Flexjet can provide office- and home-like connectivity from take-off to touchdown – at speeds typically greater than 20 Mbps – enabling passengers to do the same connected activities in the air as they do on the ground, including video, music and TV streaming, video calls, browsing, email, VPN and more. Additionally, Viasat offers uncapped speeds on its Ka-band service, which leverages compact, lightweight hardware paired with Viasat’s high-capacity satellite network to deliver the bandwidth required to meet increasing internet demands for faster speeds and access to more data-rich applications while in-flight.

“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 Flexjet COO Megan Wolf. “We also appreciated their satellite roadmap—which would ensure the IFC investments we’re making today will meet the increasing data demands of tomorrow.”

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