Overview
- Japan Airlines, which announced the deal Tuesday, will equip 20 A350‑900s and 10 787‑9s at the factory and retrofit 11 787‑9s with SES’s multi‑orbit antenna, with line‑fit deliveries starting in 2028.
- Boeing will install SES’s in‑cabin network during production and coordinate external antenna work, starting on 737s before extending to 787s, with a full line‑fit target around 2028.
- The low‑profile electronically steered antenna switches between SES geostationary satellites and the OneWeb low‑Earth network to keep coverage broad and latency low.
- Factory installation means jets arrive to airlines with the network already wired, which cuts retrofit downtime and lets passengers get online right after delivery.
- SES reports more than 500 aircraft installed and about 1,000 in the pipeline, reflecting demand as rivals push LEO‑only options such as Starlink and new Amazon hardware.