Air Canada is in talks with inflight connectivity service providers, including its current provider Intelsat, to understand its options for adding Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite service to its large installed base of Ku-band geostationary (GEO) satellite-powered 2Ku IFC systems.
Given Air Canada’s rollout on regional jets of Intelsat’s multi-orbit electronically steerable antenna (ESA) to support GEO/LEO service inclusive of Eutelsat OneWeb LEO —it has fitted 15-plus RJs to date and LEO is indeed live — Runway Girl Network asked the carrier’s manager inflight Wi-Fi and analytics, André Patrick about the possibility of adding a LEO-only antenna to Air Canada’s 2Ku-fitted aircraft to support multi-orbit connectivity.
“At Air Canada, we are currently talking with our current supplier as well as other suppliers to understand what options there are to attach a LEO-only antenna to the aircraft,” revealed Patrick, who was a speaker on an IFC-focused panel at the SATELLITE 2025 conference and exhibition in Washington D.C.
“What does that look like, what does the performance look like, is it an either or, is it a blended model? We don’t know what the answer is yet but we’re definitely in the exploratory phase of understanding what options exist and how we can take advantage of that. I think that future will see some sort of hybrid where we maintain the 2Ku antenna that exists today, with an addition. What that addition is I don’t know. I don’t think we know just yet.”
“I’m excited, actually. I will add one more thing to this. So good luck to everyone who has to answer this one,” continued Patrick, “but it would be interesting to see the footprint that currently exists with our 2Ku antenna, could something be done to utilize that base and really just update what’s inside so it’s less downtown, holes, airframe being modified so a challenge to the industry to say what can we do with the current space to introduce, let’s call it a multi-orbit solution.”
ThinKom Solutions’ Ku3030 VICTS hardware is the basis for 2Ku, and ThinKom CTO Bill Milroy later told RGN that a LEO-only ESA won’t fit within the existing Ku3030 radome. However, while the parties don’t have an imminent announcement, “we have come up with some options for that. But we’re kind of waiting for Intelsat to give us some feedback.”
Being able to offer a multi-orbit, redundant multi-network option for the large installed base of 2Ku customers would be smart (and SES would benefit in time, as it is acquiring Intelsat).
In a similar vein, Eutelsat OneWeb distribution partner Panasonic Avionics, whose Ku-band gimbaled antenna boasts a large installed base, could also add a LEO-only antenna to those birds to go multi-orbit.
“Very simply, yes,” answered vice president, connectivity business unit John Wade.
Elsewhere, Delta is already moving in a hybrid direction, adopting a multi-band offering comprising Ka-band VICTS plus a Hughes LEO-only ESA that talks to Eutelsat OneWeb Ku-band LEO for its Boeing 717s, as well as select Airbus A321neos and A350-1000s.
Moderator David Hartshorn plus Air Canada’s André Patrick, Hughes’ Reza Rasoulian, Telesat’s Philippe Schleret and Panasonic Avionics’ John Wade.
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Featured image credited to Becca Alkema
