Lufthansa Technik Certified to Install GX Aviation on A340 Aircraft

Inmarsat has achieved another important milestone in ensuring Global Xpress (GX) Aviation is available as linefit or retrofit on every major airframe in the market, after the next generation in-flight connectivity service was certified for Airbus A340 aircraft.

Inmarsat’s partner Lufthansa Technik received a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) after it successfully installed a Honeywell Aerospace designed Ka-band antenna for GX Aviation on board an Airbus A340 aircraft in Germany.

The STC validates and approves Lufthansa Technik’s installation process for the Airbus A340 family, which can be completed within days or during regular maintenance schedules, including all electrical modifications inside and outside the aircraft fuselage.

Hundreds of A340s are currently operated worldwide and in total, more than 600 million passengers have flown over 20 million flight hours on the popular wide-body jetliners.

GX Aviation will launch this year as the world’s first broadband internet solution for aircraft with seamless global coverage, delivered through a single operator. It allows passengers and airline crew to browse the internet, check social media, stream videos, access company resources and more, with similar fast and reliable broadband as they receive on the ground.

Final global testing is now underway with Inmarsat’s partner Honeywell Aerospace, whose exclusive JetWave terminals will connect airlines to the new in-flight connectivity offering.

“GX Aviation has been developed over the past five years as the only end-to-end solution in which every component, from the satellites, ground network and terminals to the cabin networks, internet features and support, has been engineered with mobility in mind,” said Leo Mondale, President of Inmarsat Aviation. “It will be widely available on all popular aircraft types, both as retrofit and linefit, to ensure maximum flexibility for airline fleets. This is reflected in the STCs received to date - ranging from Airbus A340 long-haul, Boeing 757 medium-haul and Airbus A320 short-haul aircraft to Bombardier’s 5000 and 600 private jets – and there are several additional certification programmes currently underway as we approach the finishing line for launching GX Aviation.” 

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