PlaneSense to fit Gogo Galileo satellite Wi-Fi across its 71 Pilatus aircraft

PlaneSense will fit Gogo Galileo satellite Wi-Fi to all 71 aircraft in its fractional fleet, 51 Pilatus PC-12 turboprops and 20 PC-24 jets, with the first equipped PC-24 due for delivery in late October 2026. The Portsmouth, New Hampshire company announced the programme on 15 October 2026. It is a fleet-wide commitment rather than a trial: every aircraft it flies today, and every new one it takes, will carry the system.

PlaneSense says it chose Gogo's low Earth orbit service after testing it with several passengers streaming video and joining video calls at the same time. The hardware is Gogo's HDX antenna, an electronically steered panel sized for small aircraft, running on the Eutelsat OneWeb network. Gogo puts the speed at up to 60 Mbps and says software updates can be sent to the aircraft remotely.

How the rollout runs

• Late October 2026: first Galileo-equipped PC-24 delivered; installation on the existing PC-24 jets begins at the same time.
• From then on: new PC-24s arrive with the system fitted at the factory.
• November 2026: installation on the PC-12 turboprops begins.
• End of 2027: the whole fleet is done.

The two companies have worked together since the early 2000s. George Antoniadis, PlaneSense president and CEO, said the aim is for clients "to stay connected consistently from takeoff to landing". Gogo CEO Chris Moore said fractional owners will also get the company's cybersecurity protections and round-the-clock support.

PlaneSense has run its fractional programme since 1995 and operates the largest commercial Pilatus fleet in the United States. It holds the ARGUS Platinum Elite safety rating and flies across the continental United States, Canada, Bermuda, the Bahamas, the Caribbean, Central America and Mexico, with arrangements for flights further afield.

Why it matters

Connectivity on light jets and turboprops has lagged behind the large-cabin fleet, because the antennas were too big and heavy for the airframes. Small electronically steered panels and LEO networks change that, and this is a 71-aircraft commitment from a single operator. For a fractional programme, where the owner holds a share of the fleet rather than a specific airframe, a fleet-wide fit matters more than a partial one: it means the same cabin experience whichever tail turns up.

The timing suits the industry calendar. Gogo Business Aviation and Pilatus Aircraft both exhibit at NBAA-BACE in Las Vegas from 20 to 22 October, and Gogo is on the exhibitor list for the MEBAA Show in Dubai in December. PlaneSense itself is on the exhibitor list for EAA AirVenture Oshkosh in July 2027.

PlaneSense is one of 288 aircraft charter companies in the United States on the Flying Engineer directory, and one of three in New Hampshire. Interest in this part of the market is steady: when we sorted 1,980 questions people had put to AI assistants about aviation companies, 262 were about private jets and charter, the third largest theme after aircraft types and cabin classes (full breakdown).

Source: PlaneSense, company announcement of 15 October 2026.