Viasat has brought two ViaSat-3 broadband satellites into service, one over the Americas and the other serving Asia-Pacific. In its November 5 shareholder letter, the company reported that the number of commercial aircraft using its in-flight connectivity service had reached approximately 4,490 at the end of its second fiscal quarter of 2027. That was a 6% increase from a year earlier.
The two spacecraft, designated F2 and F3, each have a design throughput above one terabit per second. Throughput describes how much data a satellite can carry in a given time. The figure applies to traffic across the spacecraft. An aircraft draws on part of that capacity, and passengers aboard share the connection.
How Aircraft Enter the Service Count
Viasat reported approximately 3,110 connected commercial aircraft in North America and 1,380 in the rest of the world. During the quarter, the company completed 180 installations on commercial aircraft. Its estimate of the number awaiting installation stood at approximately 1,540 at quarter-end.
The installation agreements show how airlines add connections to their fleets. A new aircraft can receive the equipment during production, an arrangement known as line fitting. An airline can also retrofit an aircraft already in service. Viasat’s quarterly agreements included line-fit and retrofit awards covering more than 100 Delta mainline and regional aircraft, as well as 174 retrofit aircraft for IndiGo.
Business aviation contributed a separate source of growth. Viasat reported that Gogo Galileo had entered commercial service using its Global Xpress network in geostationary orbit. The company attributed growth in aviation-services revenue to additional commercial installations and higher business-aviation revenue, including the first Galileo revenue over that network.
Why Aviation Grew as Segment Revenue Fell
The communication services segment recorded $814.5 million in quarterly revenue, down from $836.7 million a year earlier. The segment also serves fixed broadband customers, ships, and government users. Viasat attributed the overall decline principally to lower U.S. fixed-broadband revenue and maritime revenue, partly offset by aviation growth.
The 6% increase counts commercial aircraft receiving connectivity. The 3% revenue decline covers the full communication services business. In the same quarter that more aircraft joined the network, subscriber losses in U.S. fixed broadband and lower demand among offshore-support and fishing vessels reduced revenue elsewhere in the segment.
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