Viva is the first Mexican operator to select the offering.
Mexican low-cost carrier Viva (formerly VivaAerobus) has begun installing SES’ multi-orbit in-flight connectivity system on its entire fleet of Airbus narrowbodies.
Viva is installing the solution on 60 of its A320s and A320neos and 40 of its A321s and A321neos.
The Luxembourg-based provider’s electronically-steered array (ESA) antenna system switches between Eutelsat’s OneWeb low-Earth orbit (LEO) and SES’s geostationary (GEO) satellites to provide low-latency global coverage.
SES tells FlightGlobal that Viva is retrofitting the system to its existing aircraft, and has so far installed the ESA terminal on 11 jets. The remainder of the fleet will be equipped “in the coming years”.
Viva and fellow Mexican carrier Volaris, which are in the process of merging, have been badly impacted by Pratt & Whitney’s geared turbofan (GTF) recall, with large numbers of their A320neo-family aircraft forced to remain grounded while inspections are carried out. FlightGlobal understands that the ESA terminal retrofit schedule for the remainder of Viva’s aircraft will depend on its maintenance, repair and overhaul schedule and what happens in the supply chain.
SES is working towards making its multi-orbit connectivity solution available as a line-fit option across both Airbus and Boeing platforms.
During the AIX show in Hamburg earlier this year, SES announced that Boeing had agreed to install its in-cabin hardware network on production aircraft at the factory, meaning airlines could opt to complete installation of the SES system immediately after delivery. This is designed as an interim measure until full line-fit offerability is available.
SES told FlightGlobal in April that it was “working closely with Airbus” on the other platforms, with the A220 and A320neo to follow.
Viva, which will be the first airline in Mexico to offer high-speed in-flight Wi-Fi using SES’ multi-orbit ESA, says the service will enable its passengers to experience an “at-home internet experience” when they fly.
“Our goal is to make flying fit seamlessly into our passengers’ digital lives, instead of forcing them to disconnect,” says Viva chief digital officer Pablo Gomez Gallardo.
SES has installed its multi-orbit connectivity solution on more than 600 aircraft, with another 1,000 commitments in the pipeline.
Competition from LEO-only providers
The company, along with other incumbent GEO satellite operators such as Viasat, faces new competition from LEO-only satellite-based connectivity providers, including Amazon with its Amazon Leo service and SpaceX with its Starlink solution.
The latter are taking the North American market by storm, with American Airlines last month becoming the latest carrier in the region to install Starlink on 500 of its Airbus single-aisle jets. Elsewhere in North America, Starlink has been selected by Air Canada, United Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, Southwest Airlines, WestJet and charter carrier JSX.
Meanwhile, Delta Air Lines announced in March that it would install the Amazon Leo service on 500 aircraft from 2028.
The post Mexico’s Viva to equip 100 Airbus jets with SES’ multi-orbit Wi-Fi service first appeared on FlightGlobal.