ARINC anticipates its Connect Communications System (CCS), designed to give current generation capabilities to aircraft equipped with legacy Satcom systems, will be popular in the Middle East. Here the business aviation fleet “is quite dominated by larger aircraft, some former airliners with existing satellite infrastructure that might be relatively old,” said James Hardie, the company’s director, Europe, Middle East and Africa. Two factors are driving interest from potential customers with legacy communication systems, said Hardie: “One is the cost is quite low, and second is the fact that it integrates everything else we do, and makes it very compelling opportunity to upgrade to some level of connectivity.”

The $25,000 unit will be introduced as a portable system that can be carried aboard an aircraft, with deliveries in the U.S. expected to commence in Q1 of 2013.The CCS has been designed to work in conjunction with company’s iPad app, introduced in 2011, with the iPad and CCS together making communication and access to the Internet analogous to what it would be in a modern home or office. “Our iPad app is one of the things that’s going to make this unique,” said Hardie. “We’re trying to take advantage of everything else that’s happening in the world.”