Artist rendition of Iris satellite-based communication system. Photo:

Italian airline ITA Airways will adopt Viasat’s air traffic modernization solution Iris, which was developed through a European Space Agency (ESA) program. 

Iris is a datalink service that is part of the Single European Sky Initiative. It is currently in the pre-commercial flight phase, set to conclude by the end of this year. The commercial phase will begin in 2026 with onboarding 28 air navigation service providers (ANSPs) supporting more than 1,100 Iris-capable aircraft in Europe. 

The Iris capability will initially be rolled out on four ITA Airways Airbus A320neo aircraft under a deal announced Dec. 10. 

Iris uses Viasat’s SwiftBroadband-Safety (SB-S) connectivity platform. It allows initial 4D trajectory-based operations to share trajectory and intent-based operational information. This is aimed at improving aviation efficiency including calculating the shortest available routes and avoiding holding patterns. It also paves the way for multilink data link communications using both VDL2 and Iris satcom methods.

“We are deeply committed to supporting the modernization of European airspace as part of the roadmap toward the Single European Sky. Through this partnership with Viasat, ESA, and ESSP, we will improve flight punctuality, optimize fuel consumption, and further reduce emissions,” commented ITA Airways CEO Joerg Eberhart.