Nextant Aerospace Receives FAA Approval for Starlink Inflight Connectivity on Gulfstream G450s & G550s
Nextant Aerospace will bring to market the aviation industry’s first G450 and G550 Starlink Inflight Connectivity STC and PMA installation kit.
(Cleveland, Ohio) Nextant Aerospace, the engineering arm for Flexjet, announced today that it has received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for its Starlink Inflight Connectivity supplemental type (STC) for the Gulfstream G450 and G550 series of aircraft.
Top-view of a Gulfstream G650 with Starlink Inflight Connectivity, courtesy of Nextant Aerospace.
Today’s approval follows behind Nextant’s previous certification of Starlink Connectivity STCs and PMA installation kits for the Bombardier Global Express, Global XRS, Global 6000 and Gulfstream G650, according to a press release from Nextant Aerospace issued today.
“For too long, the in-flight connectivity options available to aircraft owners have lagged behind the capabilities they are accustomed to in their offices and homes,” said Tony Kurpely, Nextant Aerospace senior vice president. “We are proud to be the first to develop and install Starlink’s truly reliable high-speed internet solution in a business jet environment. And we will continue to develop and certify Nextant’s Starlink Inflight Connectivity STCs to more and more aircraft types.”
Per today’s press release, the SpaceX constellation of over 5,000 Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Starlink satellites provides business jet access to the highest speed low-latency global internet coverage available today, and can be easily accessed by passengers with “an intuitive one-click interface” on their devices.
Passengers with access to Starlink Connectivity STCs and PMA installation kits are able to access Starlink internet as soon as they board aircraft, rather than waiting until they reach specific altitudes, as is the case with other Internet providers; Internet access is also maintained upon descents from cruising altitudes.
“Starlink is specifically designed to address reliability issues that have plagued legacy systems,” reads today’s release. “The hardware features a phased array antenna with no moving parts, eliminating its susceptibility to environmental variances that can significantly impact performance on older technology.”
