Runway Girl

Mexican ultra-low-cost carrier Viva has selected SES’s multi-orbit, electronically steerable antenna (ESA)-based inflight connectivity solution for 100 Airbus narrowbodies.

The IFC hardware is powered by SES’s geostationary (GEO) satellite network and Eutelsat’s OneWeb Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite service, for which SES is a distribution partner. It will be installed on 60 Airbus A320s and 40 A321s in Viva’s fleet.

A total of 11 Viva aircraft are already flying with the solution, an SES spokesperson tells Runway Girl Network.

Images shared by Viva show a fitted A320, registered XA-VAQ.

Full story: https://runwaygirlnetwork.com/2026/06/viva-taps-ses-multi-orbit-ifc-for-100-airbus-narrowbodies/

All images credited to Viva

Airbus is open to discussing with airlines a future where the European airframer acts as the orchestrator for ferrying data over multiple inflight connectivity pipes on Airbus aircraft — or partnering with a trusted company with those proficiencies — should aviation follow the cruise industry and adopt a ‘least cost routing’ approach, Airbus revealed to RGN at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg.

On the heels of announcing a new linefit, supplier-furnished HBCplus modular architecture, which will accommodate two electronically steerable antennas in the Ku- and/or Ka-band from 2028 — and in what felt like a stunning admission — Airbus VP, head of connected aircraft program Tim Sommer confirmed that Airbus “definitely sees an interest in doing” multi-vendor, akin to maritime, and that:

"Technically, our architecture enables that very clearly with what we have. So yes, we need to see what the best business arrangement is in there.

"We’d probably be looking for partners, and you mentioned names on the market who are able actually to manage that [we mentioned edge-to-cloud network platform and Crystal Cabin Award winner Quvia, specifically]. That’s not necessarily what we see as our core business to do that.

"Let’s see if we see a strong demand from the market to have Airbus in that position. I mean, we’re open to discuss that as well, but the important thing is, you have a system which allows you to do that, which has the technical capability to do it.

"And then, as the market is evolving quickly now, we will see what, in the end, plays out [and] who is going to take that role."

Full story: https://runwaygirlnetwork.com/2026/05/airbus-open-to-ifc-orchestration-should-multi-vendor-take-off/