Gogo Galileo is gaining rapid market traction, boosted by a fleet-wide installation deal with VistaJet and new STCs – including Aloft AeroArchitects’ FDX STC for the BBJ 737, which Action Aviation recently selected for its aircraft
One could almost believe the market was playing to Gogo’s script. The Gogo Galileo satellite communications system rolling out across the business and VVIP aviation industry is available with a choice of half-duplex HDX electronically steered antenna (ESA) or full-duplex FDX, each optimised for a particular market segment. Key Galileo supplemental type certificate (STC) announcements at the NBAA-BACE show put smiles on Gogo faces and, since then, the good news has kept coming. What’s more, those key announcements are proving the applications for which Gogo designed its antenna choices.
Aloft AeroArchitects announced FAA approval for its Boeing BBJ 737 STC for the FDX antenna just prior to the NBAA-BACE event, where that news was still buzzing – as was the news that Skyservice had received FAA and ANAC approval for its HDX STCs for the Bombardier Challenger 600 series and Gulfstream 280 around the same time. Then StandardAero revealed the first double Galileo STC approval, when it announced FAA qualification for its HDX and FDX STCs on the Challenger 600 series.
Fleet selection
Then, on 21 October 2025, Vista announced the selection of Gogo Galileo HDX for its global fleet, with availability in the European market beginning on some aircraft during November. According to the operator’s ambitious schedule, customers flying with the US and Asia fleets will start to enjoy Galileo from January 2026 as one aircraft is upgraded with the Gogo Galileo HDX terminal every nine days. At least 60 aircraft are expected to be modified by mid-2026, and global satellite connectivity should be available across the entire 270-aircraft Vista fleet during 2027. The final equipment standard will see Vista’s Global 7500 jets continue with their current Ka-band terminals, while some other aircraft will receive upgrades to their existing Ku-band systems.
Vista is pairing Gogo Galileo HDX with the Gogo AVANCE LX5 platform and performing installations at its in-house maintenance centres, which are already stocked with the key components required for installation and support. Each aircraft will receive just two line-replaceable units (LRU) – the HDX terminal and AVANCE LX5 ‘box’ – plus a minimal amount of cabling and associated installation hardware. The relative simplicity of the installation work causes minimal disruption to the cabin and its internal fittings, meaning a faster return to service, while AVANCE LX5 is engineered for easy integration into existing cabin management and inflight entertainment systems.
Aloft AeroArchitects
Colby Hall, Managing Director, Emerging Technology and Innovation at Aloft AeroArchitects, was keen to reveal details of the company’s Gogo Galileo FDX STC for the BBJ 737 at NBAA-BACE in October.
Gogo Galileo FDX is especially suitable for larger aircraft, including the BBJ 737, which are likely to carry more passengers all performing data-intensive activities on multiple devices. It essentially employs two HDX antennas, one dedicated to transmit and the other to receive, while in its HDX-only installation, the Galileo terminal includes a single antenna with the send and receive functions interleaved. The resulting data rates are reduced but still provide an exceptional experience for the smaller passenger numbers typical of a conventional business jet.
Aloft AeroArchitects initially developed its FDX STC for a customer aircraft and Hall explained why the company selected the Gogo product: “Among the reasons that first took us to FDX was Gogo’s support network. We’d previously been a dealer for Satcom Direct and Gogo Business Aviation, so we knew them well before they merged. Support is key to us and our client base. Our clients generally don’t have teams to support their aircraft; it’s often one person and for them, quality support really matters.
“Outside of that, our cabins are 100% custom designed and the Galileo products allow us to be highly flexible, delivering great speeds and great latency without sacrificing other features. Comparable systems are available, but they lack those levels of customisation or force you to sacrifice other cabin features that matter to the client. They might take up more space for example or integrate less well. We integrate lots of cabin systems as one; you don’t have multiple Wi-Fi systems running in your house for different systems and it should be the same for our cabins. We want to create a holistic network that enables access to data and, say, TV controls, and that integration isn’t always possible with other systems.”
Hall keenly revealed that the Gogo Galileo FDX STC design, implementation and FAA certification process was among the fastest large antenna programmes in Aloft’s history, a result in which Gogo played an important part. “They provided data on the antenna and for the installation, including models, which was a huge help. They also provided test articles for birdstrike trials, saving us costs that we’d otherwise need to pass on to the customer and easing the STC’s market entry. It was a really big step for us as a dealer and for them; it’s something we rarely see. They really appreciate the work we did and their support was fabulous.”
Action Aviation
An STC itself is a product and while Hall admits he would prefer to handle every BBJ 737 FDX installation, he realises that it simply is not possible. If proof were needed of the quality of Aloft AeroArchitects’ work and the attractiveness of Gogo Galileo FDX, then it came at the Dubai Airshow in November, when Action Aviation announced that it was equipping its BBJ 737 with the system. The aircraft entered the Nomad Technics facility in Basel, Switzerland, on 24 November 2025, equipped with Swift Broadband. A long-term subscriber to Satcom Direct, now Gogo services, Action Aviation realised the importance of offering its principal and charter clients an improved connectivity experience. Now, Nomad Technics is using the Aloft AeroArchitects FDX STC, installing the terminal in conjunction with a 12-year check.
Although other options are available, Action Aviation chose to remain with Gogo, as Director of Aircraft Management & Maintenance, Shivam Saxena, explains: “We sincerely appreciate the partnership we enjoyed with Satcom Direct and Gogo over the past six years. The support and services they provided consistently exceeded our expectations, especially from Will Jones [Regional Sales Manager MEA] and the Dubai team, whose proactive communication and updates on new Internet connectivity solutions have been invaluable.”
Saxena expects the aircraft to emerge in the first quarter of 2026 and is already delighted with the FDX experience: “The Gogo team has provided consistent, invaluable support and guidance and ensured local assistance is available during the upcoming installation at Nomad Technics in Basel, which is also a Gogo dealer. The companies share office space in Basel, which is allowing for seamless coordination.”
Finally, if operators, owners, charter passengers and crew are to make the most of inflight broadband connectivity, there is more to it than simply switching on the Wi-Fi and connecting. Gogo offers a variety of training options and Saxena confirms: “The Gogo team will deliver a training and demonstration session for our crew at Action Aviation in February 2026, following the installation. It will include inflight demonstrations for passengers. Looking ahead, based on our previous experience, we are confident in Galileo HDX and the support services provided by the Gogo team.”