Valour Consultancy has released its Quarterly IFEC Market Tracker, which highlights a huge boom in upgrades as airlines transition from GEO-powered connectivity to LEO and multi-orbit services.
The company says the global connected fleet has risen relatively slowly over the years, with the current total just below 12,000 commercial aircraft – which is less than half of the active commercial fleet.
When it comes to widebodies, 25% are still not offering onboard Wi-Fi. According to the report, narrowbody aircraft make up a huge slice of the addressable market, with approximately 64% of single aisle jets still without in-flight connectivity. Low-cost carriers are also well represented in this segment.
Valour Consultancy says that passengers now expect connectivity to be available everywhere, while the commercial rationale for IFC is steadily improving through declining data costs, maturing commercial models and the availability of lightweight, low-profile and easy-to-install hardware.
The company says the biggest opportunity lies in bringing connectivity to the unconnected majority, naming China and India as examples. Geographically, out of the 4,400+ commercial aircraft in China, only around 10% are currently connected.
Recently, China Southern chose SES’s IFC solution for its new A350s and Spacesail launched its “Thousand Sails” LEO network, and these developments indicate that momentum is building, according to Valour Consultancy.
Meanwhile, in Asia-Pacific, 60% of aircraft registered to carriers in the region remain unconnected.
