Duncan Aviation has received FAA approval for an STC permitting installation of SmartSky’s Wi-Fi system on Bombardier Challenger 601, 604, 605, and 650 business jets, the Lincoln, Nebraska-based MRO provider announced yesterday. Certification coordinator Russ Kromberg worked with SmartSky’s technical team on antenna placement to achieve the best connections and speeds inside the cabin.

The SmartSky system, using a mix of air-to-ground 4G LTE and 5G technologies, allows onboard users to hold in-flight conference calls, stream movies, and upload and download content during flight.

“Duncan Aviation is an exceptional, visionary partner who knew exactly what their customers wanted and provided critical input for our design requirements,” said SmartSky chairman and CEO Haynes Griffin. “Our system meets or exceeds that high bar Duncan Aviation helped set, giving customers the internet speed they’ve long demanded using SmartSky’s patented bidirectional, low-latency network.”

Kromberg said Duncan is currently working on STCs to place SmartSky equipment on the Bombardier Challenger 300 and Learjet 45, as well as the Dassault Falcon 900 and 2000. He expects those STCs to be approved next year.