Global communications company Viasat has received supplemental type certificate (STC) approval from the FAA for its Ka-band in-flight connectivity system, the Global Aero Terminal 5510, on super midsize cabin business jets. Since receiving kit certification, Viasat has installed the equipment on its first aircraft, which is now flying, and has several additional installations underway.

The STC enables Viasat to install its terminal, wiring, server and wireless access points onboard key business and VIP aircraft. With the shipset installed, private jet passengers and crew can be simultaneously connected to a high-speed, high-quality internet connection that will enable multi-site video conference calling, access to corporate VPN connections and email, streaming of bandwidth-intensive videos, TV, music and more during all stages of flight.

“Receiving STC approval for our flagship Ka-band business aviation shipset marks the first key milestone required to deliver our high-speed, high-value in-flight internet system to customers, fractional operators and partners,” says business area director, business aviation Claudio D'Amico. “We are making positive headway in the business aviation market with our kit certified, the first retrofit installed and several more deployments in progress. We are ready to bring more passengers and crew the reliable, high-speed in-flight internet service required to meet the ever-growing demand for connectivity anywhere.”

Viasat's Global Aero Terminal 5510 is a highly-suitable connectivity solution for midsized cabin executive jets due to it being the most compact business aviation internet system on the market. Its smaller size provides key advantages: it does not require space in the luggage compartment, enabling it to be installed in the non-pressurised areas of the aircraft, and it lowers overall installed system weight compared to many competing offerings, which can potentially offer fuel savings.

The terminal taps into Viasat's Viasat-1, Viasat-2 and KA-SAT European Ka-band satellite platforms today; will be able to leverage capacity on Viasat's partner Ka-band satellite networks; and is expected to be forward-compatible with Viasat's future-generation satellite constellation, Viasat-3, enabling use of the Viasat-3 capacity with no additional hardware upgrades.