Intelsat to Upgrade Japan Airlines Fleet with 2Ku In-Flight Connectivity Service

Japan Airlines’ 737-800 aircraft. Photo: Japan Airlines

Satellite operator Intelsat reached an agreement with Japan Airlines (JAL) to upgrade about 50 Boeing 737s and 767s to the company’s 2Ku inflight connectivity solution.

Intelsat’s 2Ku service includes a mechanically-steered, phased-array antenna that will replace the gimballed antenna the operator originally installed on the Japanese airline’s fleet nearly 10 years ago. The service is designed to operate on contemporary high-throughput satellites, as well as with Intelsat’s fleet of new software-defined satellites (SDS) that will enter service in 2025.

In addition to the fleet of Boeing 737s and 767s, JAL’s subsidiary airline, J-AIR Co. Ltd. is currently installing Intelsat’s 2Ku system on the carrier’s fleet of Embraer E190 aircraft. As recently announced, J-AIR will complete installation of the 2Ku system on 14 E190s by the end of 2024. When completed, J-AIR will be the first regional airline in Japan to offer inflight entertainment and connectivity services.

“Intelsat has been a trusted partner of JAL since 2013,” said Mitsuko Tottori, senior vice president of Customer Experience at Japan Airlines. “Working with Intelsat, we are able to offer more robust inflight connectivity for our passengers. We are proud to have been among the first airlines in the world to offer free service for all passengers flying on our domestic routes starting in 2017 and look forward to the greater speed and reliability benefits the new 2Ku terminals will bring.”