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In the beginning of 2024, Starlink was in its infancy in the Aviation world. Experts in the business aviation industry had many concerns about how the Starlink system would work in this niche market. Now, just over six months later, several aircraft maintenance companies have had the opportunity to begin to install Starlink into business jets.

At the height of COVID-19, business aviation experienced a boom. Interest was higher than it had been in several years, maybe ever. People still wanted to fly, but now, they wanted to fly privately. With a huge pool of new buyers and a limited number of new aircraft being manufactured, the demand, and therefore price, of these aircraft skyrocketed. Now, according to a recent AINsight article, the prices of pre-owned business planes have stabilized.

In business aviation, having a ‘one-stop’ shop is quite appealing. Oftentimes, the work includes (but is not limited to): maintenance, records research, specialized inspections, avionics upgrades, in-flight connectivity installations, interior refurbishment, paint, aircraft detailing and cleaning.

Back in April of 2023, I expressed some potential issues about the future of Starlink’s business model for Business aviation. In the months that have followed, however, Starlink has gone out of their way to address many of these issues. Some of these updates were noted by Pro Star at the 2023 NBAA BACE, held in Las Vegas. Now, nearly a year later, Starlink’s future in Business Aviation looks very promising, and they are poised to change the face of In-Flight Connectivity (IFC) as we know it.

Throughout the three-day course of the 2023 NBAA BACE, held at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Pro Star played a role in some significant updates for business aviation. While I was not personally present this year, Pro Star had both of its regional sales managers, as well as the general manager, in attendance. Despite the smaller than normal attendance contingency in Las Vegas, it still had one of its most, if not the most, productive conventions yet.

In April of this year, I discussed the reservations I had with certain unanswered questions relating to the Starlink system designed for Business Aviation. In the months following, we have seen updates that have clarified some of my concerns. No update, however, has been quite as massive as the announcement made earlier this month. Both Starlink Aviation and Nextant Aerospace have been approved by the FAA to install their connectivity solution on all Gulfstream G650 aircraft.