Airbus Corporate Jets’ (ACJ) global connectivity solution ACJ Connect Link has become a reality with the first customer aircraft, namely three ACJ319s, now fitted with the Gogo Galileo HDX satellite connectivity system. More customer installations are to follow later this year. This follows EASA’s STC approval in March, which enables Gogo Galileo’s Half-Duplex (HDX) terminals to be installed on Airbus ACJ319 and ACJ320 aircraft. 

Prior to this, a comprehensive MoU agreement between Airbus and Gogo in February included the selection of the Gogo Galileo HDX and FDX terminals to support high-speed connectivity. This comprises two Gogo line-replaceable units (LRUs), the electronically steered antenna ESA and the Avance SCS platform for ACJ Connect Link customers.

ACJ president Chadi Saade says: “By working in partnership with our customers and our industry partners, we are bringing the latest technology on board our ACJ aircraft, offering a new level in passenger experience and inflight connectivity.”

Gogo CEO Chris Moore adds: “The ability to customise the service to deliver specified bandwidth to principals, entourage or crew optimises the system’s versatility to enhance productivity, entertainment and communication at altitude. We are proud that Airbus has selected Gogo Galileo to support the Airbus vision of tailored cabin experiences.”

The Ku-band antenna, which uses electronically steerable phased array technology (ESA), is more compact than existing Ka-band antennae and fits into a smaller, flatter radome. This helps to minimise the aircraft’s overall weight and drag while simultaneously delivering uninterrupted connectivity that enables multiple applications, including video conferencing, streaming and data-hungry apps across multiple passenger devices. 

HDX-equipped ACJ aircraft will benefit from Eutelsat OneWeb’s Low Earth Orbit (LEO) constellation of more than 640 satellites. Compared with typical Geostationary Orbit (GEO) based satellite networks, this LEO-based network, whose satellites orbit much closer to the earth, offers higher speed and lower latency combined with global coverage, even at the poles.

The overall objective of Connect Link is to deliver a dedicated connectivity solution tailored to the specific needs of ACJ customers. To this end, ACJ offers a higher-bandwidth evolution (up to 195Mbps download speed capability) Gogo Galileo Full Duplex (FDX) terminal, with a corresponding STC now in development, with first customer installations targeted for Q1 2026.