ThinKom Solutions has been selected by Neo Space Group (NSG) to supply its ThinAir Ka2517 phased-array antenna for installation across narrow-body aircraft fleets operated by Saudia and Riyadh Air.
The Ka2517 antenna will be integrated by RAVE Aerospace as part of a turnkey in-flight connectivity (IFC) installation package. Saudia has already begun deployments on its Airbus A320 fleet, while Riyadh Air’s Airbus A321neo aircraft will be delivered from Airbus with the system installed.
According to the companies, the IFC solution combines ThinKom’s Ka2517 hardware with NSG’s Skywaves platform and the SES Open Orbits network. The system is designed to support connectivity across geostationary (GEO) and non-geostationary satellite constellations, including SES’s O3b and O3b mPOWER medium Earth orbit networks.
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“Our flight-proven ThinAir antennas bring unmatched throughput, spectral efficiency and reliability to the skies,” said Jeff Sare, Chief Commercial Officer at ThinKom. “We are proud to partner with NSG to enable the next generation of inflight connectivity for Saudia, Riyadh Air, and others, seamlessly harnessing the power of SES’s Open Orbits multi-orbit and multi-constellation services.”
NSG stated that its Skywaves platform supports bandwidth speeds of up to 300 Mbps through a multi-orbit architecture designed to manage traffic across different satellite networks and orbital layers.
ThinKom said the Ka2517 antenna has received certification for operation on the SES Open Orbits network and holds approvals from aviation authorities including Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). The antenna is also available as a line-fit option for Airbus and Boeing aircraft.
“We’re bringing the strength and versatility of NSG’s multi-orbit connectivity solutions to life, backed by the SES Open Orbits program,” said Tarek El Mitwalli, Executive Vice President of Aviation at NSG. “We are excited to leverage ThinKom’s best-of-breed antenna hardware in the solution, ensuring industry-leading performance across all orbital planes.”
ThinKom stated that its ThinAir antenna products are installed on more than 2,000 aircraft and have accumulated over 65 million flight hours. The company said the Ka2517’s low-drag design is intended to reduce fuel burn and heat dissipation requirements, particularly in Middle East operating environments.
The partnership forms part of wider efforts to expand next-generation passenger connectivity services in line with Saudi Arabia’s aviation growth targets under Vision 2030.
