TAMPA, Fla. — Amazon has unveiled the antenna its upcoming constellation would use to provide gigabit speeds to commercial aircraft, after gaining ground with major airlines despite Starlink’s low Earth orbit (LEO) broadband dominance.
The electronically steered Amazon Leo Aviation Antenna is compatible with aircraft ranging from regional jets to widebody planes, the company said April 13, touting onboard speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second (Gbps) download and 400 megabits per second (Mbps) upload.
“Amazon Leo can connect a full plane of passengers and crew with speeds that handle any activity seamlessly,” said Trevor Vieweg, Amazon Leo director of global business, “whether passengers want to game, watch a movie, listen to music, or collaborate with colleagues on a project.
“We expect our service to be so fast and reliable that passengers will seek out flights featuring Leo connectivity.”
SpaceX currently advertises up to 310 Mbps download and up to 44 Mbps upload speeds per terminal for its Starlink aviation service, amid plans to upgrade a global offering it has been providing to major airlines for more than two years.
LEO broadband takes to the skies
Amazon Leo has so far deployed 241 of a proposed 3,232 first-generation satellites, with initial services now targeting mid-2026, years behind schedule following launch capacity constraints.
Providing Wi-Fi on planes would come later, in part because this requires a denser constellation.
A spokesperson for JetBlue, which announced plans last year to connect roughly a quarter of its more than 300 aircraft to Amazon Leo, told SpaceNews it still aims to start providing the service in 2027. Those planes currently rely on Viasat’s geostationary orbit (GEO) satellites for inflight connectivity (IFC).
Delta Air Lines, the world’s highest-grossing airline, also announced plans March 31 to provide Amazon Leo services on an initial 500 aircraft from 2028.
However, it is unclear how Delta plans to roll this out. In 2023, Delta outlined plans to connect all mainline aircraft with Viasat, apart from around 400 Boeing 717s and smaller regional jets serving North America, which would be equipped with a GEO service from Hughes.
A Delta spokesperson declined to detail fleet-specific plans, saying it “remains committed to pairing the right technology with the right aircraft.”
A Viasat spokesperson said: “As Delta’s primary IFC provider, Viasat will continue to provide connectivity to the largest portion of Delta’s 1,150 aircraft equipped with fast free Wi-Fi.”
Hughes owner Echostar did not respond to requests for comment.
Meanwhile, SpaceX continues to rapidly expand its aviation footprint after connecting more than 1,400 commercial aircraft in 2025 via LEO, which offers lower-latency connectivity than traditional GEO systems. Major customers include United Airlines, Alaska Airlines and Air France.
“The IFC landscape is becoming increasingly competitive, with Starlink and now Amazon Leo gaining traction as airlines adopt multi-provider and now multi-orbit strategies,” Raymond James analyst Rick Prentiss said in a recent note on Viasat’s financials.
“While the announcement does not alter near-term financials, we expect it will keep sentiment cautious, along with other recent LEO/IFC deals.”
Amazon is also working to expand its reach through aircraft manufacturers, including an agreement with Airbus to integrate Leo into the aerospace giant’s line-fit and retrofit catalog, potentially streamlining adoption across new and existing aircraft.
