Shipsets of Aircell's new high-speed Internet system for the US business aviation market have begun three months ahead of schedule following full certification from the FAA.
A commercial airline version of the system is already in use at several US operators, including AirTran Airways, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Virgin America.
But Aircell says first installation of the business aviation version has been completed by Midcoast Aviation aboard a Bombardier Challenger 605.
"During the acceptance flight for the first installation, there were several passengers surfing the Internet, sending and receiving e-mail with attachments and downloading files simultaneously - and everything worked flawlessly," says Aircell senior vice-president and general manager John Wade.
"With certification in hand and the continued overwhelming acceptance of the system, today's milestone paves the way for thousands of business aircraft installations in the coming years."
In addition to a high-speed Internet system for the continental USA, Aircell is offering its satellite-based SwiftBroadband product for global service, which will be available in July.
Aircell's SwiftBroadband product is powered by Thrane & Thrane.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news