Panasonic Avionics, a supplier of in-flight engagement and connectivity (IFEC) technologies, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Shanghai Spacesail Technologies (Spacesail).
The purpose of the MoU, announced at Singapore Airshow, is to enable the companies to explore opportunities to add Spacesail’s high-bandwidth, low-latency Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellation to Panasonic Avionics’ global in-flight connectivity (IFC) network.
Spacesail has a unique position as a global LEO connectivity constellation operating over China, and Panasonic Avionics has stated that adding Spacesail’s service into its worldwide IFC service will enable seamless LEO in-flight connectivity everywhere airlines fly.
Panasonic Avionics has built and maintained a strong position in the Asia-Pacific IFC market for more than a decade, led by GEO coverage over China and the wider region via the APSTAR-6D satellite, and long-standing partnerships with regional and international airlines.
The MOU with Spacesail is Panasonic Avionics’ newest initiative to deliver multi-orbit connectivity across the Asia-Pacific region and worldwide. The addition of Spacesail will complement Panasonic Avionics’ existing partnerships with Eutelsat’s OneWeb LEO network.
John Wade, vice president of connectivity at Panasonic Avionics said: “Airlines are demanding higher speeds, lower latency, and more resilient connectivity solutions than ever before, at every phase of flight. Adding Spacesail’s LEO constellation to Panasonic Avionics’ portfolio will enable us to provide passengers with connectivity over every country, strengthening our network and reinforcing our strategy of providing airlines with the performance, flexibility and future-proofed capability they require.”
The integration of Spacesail aligns with Panasonic Avionics’ strategy to build a next-generation antenna and terminal ecosystem, and an onboard compute platform, capable of combining multiple networks using channel bonding. This architecture is designed to deliver flexible, high-capacity, and resilient IFC across different orbits, frequency bands, and satellite operators.
In December 2025 Airbus signed an MoU with Spacesail, with the aim of integrating Spacesail’s LEO connectivity into Airbus’ HBCplus inflight solution. The MoU is intended to give Airbus’ High Bandwidth Connectivity Plus (HBCplus) customers access an additional global In-Flight Connectivity (IFC) option, built on Spacesail’s future LEO network. Panasonic Avionics is a key managed service provider in Airbus’ HBCplus offering.
