Gogo Responds to Growing Connectivity Demand in Africa

African private aviation consumers have a growing appetite for high-performance in-flight connectivity that can now more readily be satisfied, according to system specialist Gogo. According to the company, which now incorporates the former Satcom Direct product line, it is fielding requests from operators of a more diverse array of aircraft across the continent.

“What we see now is a change in the landscape that has reinvigorated the African market and improved the passenger experience,” David Falberg, Gogo’s senior vice president for international sales, told AIN. “In the past, we mainly had conversations about [installing connectivity systems] on heavier aircraft like Challengers; now we are getting asked about smaller airframes like the [Pilatus] PC-24 and the [Beechcraft] King Airs.”

According to Gogo, both its LEO-based Galileo systems and GEO-based Plane Simple Ka/Ku-band connections provide new customers with affordable connectivity options. “Especially with older aircraft, we help customers to consider the right level of investment with simplified installation and the right price point,” Falberg said. 

Gogo, which is a founding member of the African Business Aviation Association, is now offering finance options to amortize the cost of getting aircraft connected over a fixed period. “This is a good option especially for smaller aircraft, because the pricing is more predictable for the purchase of the hardware and fixed for three years, removing the element of surprise,” Falberg explained.

Expanding the Installer Base

Broadly speaking, many African regulators accept FAA or EASA standards for fitting satellite communication systems. According to Falberg, around 40% of aircraft based in the continent are registered with states that adhere to the requirements of these benchmark regulators.

Gogo works with several approved maintenance, repair, and overhaul providers on the continent, such as ExecuJet in South Africa, as well as with specialists in other regions, like Inflite The Jet Centre in the UK. The company is willing to work with other local contractors with a view to expanding the availability of approved satcom installers able to implement supplemental type certificates for the required hardware.

One recent installation, conducted in partnership with Netherlands-based Fokker Services Group, involved fitting a Fokker 70 head-of-state aircraft operated by the Kenyan air force with a Gogo Galileo FDX system. Another new customer is Ugandan charter operator Bar Aviation, which has had Plane Simple Ku-band connectivity fitted to a Challenger jet.

Falberg said that satellite-based connections work well across the continent. In his view, this is a more realistic foundation for African operators than air-to-ground networks, in part because many of the states have their own communications regulations and spectrums, which would make cross-border expansion “a huge undertaking.”