Amazon Leo Launches High Speed In-Flight Internet Antenna

On Monday, Amazon Leo, Amazon’s low-Earth-orbit satellite network aimed at delivering internet connectivity to customers across the globe, introduced its new antenna that the company says will allow commercial aircraft and regional jets to offer high-performance, in-flight internet to its passengers.

Amazon said that the new antenna was designed with no moving parts so that it can hold up under intense temperatures and difficult weather conditions, as well as to reduce maintenance downtime.

The antenna will be affixed to the exterior of the airframe and is a flat, rectangular shape measuring just 2.6 inches high in order to cut down on drag and fuel consumption. Its simple design, the company says, allows the hardware’s installation to be completed in a single day. 

“We’ve thought through every aspect of aviation operations to build an antenna and a service that deliver performance, reliability, and efficiency—and that shows in the Amazon Leo Aviation Antenna and the industry’s response to our technology,” said Trevor Vieweg, director of global business for Amazon Leo said in a news release.

The service will provide up to one gigabit per second of download speed and 400 megabits per second of upload speed to all users aboard the aircraft, the company said. 

To date, Amazon Leo has inked deals with Delta and JetBlue where connectivity will be provided by the company’s constellation of more than 200 satellites deployed in low-Earth-orbit. In March, Amazon Leo announced they had three launches scheduled for additional deployments and are on pace to complete 11 launches since first beginning deployments in 2025. 

Amazon Leo will compete with SpaceX’s Starlink, a similar internet connectivity service powered by its own constellation of satellites in low-Earth-orbit. A number of major carriers have agreed to deals with Starlink, including United, who in February announced that over 25 percent of its daily departures now offer the service.