Finnair picks SES and Eutelsat OneWeb to connect 18 aircraft

Finnair has signed SES to equip 18 aircraft with in-flight connectivity, using a combination of geosynchronous and low Earth orbit satellites — with Eutelsat's OneWeb constellation supplying the LEO leg. The first connected jet enters service in 2027, which gives the airline a long wait and SES a fresh foothold in aviation.

The deal covers a forthcoming line of Finnair aircraft. SES will install its electronically steered array antenna, a flat panel that tracks moving satellites without mechanical parts — handy when your customer base travels at 900 km/h. SES provides the GEO element itself and has tapped Eutelsat to deliver the LEO layer through OneWeb.

What did the operators say?

Simon Large, chief customer officer at Finnair, said: "connectivity is an increasingly important part of the overall travel experience." He expects the SES arrangement to deliver "a home-like broadband experience" — a claim passengers will test themselves in three years' time.

Blane Boynton, SVP of Aviation at SES, kept the framing simpler: access to Wi-Fi is now "a core part of the travel experience." The multi-orbit approach, he explained, provides the "reliability, performance and flexibility" airlines want.

Thierry Polycarpe, VP for Aviation and Maritime at Eutelsat, pointed to the high data rates and low latency of the OneWeb LEO constellation. The Finnair arrangement, he said, is "further evidence of the value" OneWeb brings to in-flight connectivity.

Why does the multi-orbit pairing matter?

Pairing GEO capacity with a LEO constellation is becoming the standard architecture for airborne Wi-Fi. GEO satellites offer wide coverage and proven throughput; LEO constellations cut latency sharply because the signal travels a few hundred kilometres rather than nearly 36,000. An antenna that handles both lets an airline pool capacity across orbits instead of betting on a single layer. That's the technical case. The commercial one is simpler: airlines buy seats on whatever keeps passengers streaming.

How big is this for Eutelsat?

Considerably bigger than 18 aircraft suggest. Eutelsat said the airline sector is proving a lucrative hunting ground, and the SES-Finnair arrangement adds to more than 10 existing aviation deals it already holds. OneWeb is increasingly winning business in the segment, and Eutelsat hinted further agreements are imminent — read that as a pipeline, not a prediction.

For SES, the contract marks another airline-sector win on top of its existing aviation business, though the company did not disclose financial terms, installation schedules beyond the 2027 date, or which aircraft type receives the antenna first. The operator also declined to give throughput targets, so "home-like broadband" remains, for now, a marketing phrase rather than a measured figure.

What happens next?

Nothing flies until 2027. In the meantime, watch the follow-on deals Eutelsat teased: each additional airline signing for OneWeb's LEO capacity tightens the European operator's position in a segment where SpaceX's Starlink has set the pace on low-latency in-flight service. Finnair's passengers get their verdict in three years.