(Credit: Amazon)
Amazon Leo is trying to steal some of the spotlight from Starlink's in-flight Wi-Fi business by showing off its own satellite internet antenna for commercial jets.
On Monday, Amazon debuted the Leo Aviation Antenna, a dish specifically designed for planes that promises to deliver high-speed internet to passengers.
The flat, low-profile antenna looks similar to Starlink’s “Aero Terminal” for commercial jets; both systems are designed to be installed on the exterior of the plane, enabling them to receive radio signals from orbiting low-Earth satellites.
However, Amazon is touting a "single-day installation" for its antenna, whereas SpaceX says its Aero Terminal "enables installations during minimal downtime (10-14 days)."
SpaceX has received rave reviews for powering high-speed internet on major airlines, offering a performance leap over older in-flight Wi-Fi systems. CEO Elon Musk even retweeted a clip in which YouTube star MrBeast said he’ll only book flights on planes equipped with Starlink. (PCMag's tests on a United jet last year gave us Starlink speeds close to 100Mbps.)
Amazon Leo is hoping to generate the same buzz. “We expect our service to be so fast and reliable that passengers will seek out flights featuring Leo connectivity,” says Trevor Vieweg, director of global business for Amazon Leo.
Amazon’s aviation antenna promises to deliver up to 1Gbps in downloads and 400Mbps in uploads simultaneously. But it told PCMag: “The bandwidth is shared, and it will be up to our airline customers to determine if they want to segment the experience in any way, but in general the speeds are sufficient to support pretty much a full range of connected experiences, including gaming, streaming, photos, etc., across every passenger and crew member.”
The announcement might help lure more airlines to Amazon Leo. Starlink has already been adopted at some major airlines, including United, Hawaiian, and Air France.
Delta and JetBlue have signed up to use Amazon Leo. However, the satellite internet system remains in a private beta, with only over 240 satellites in orbit—too few for robust coverage and connectivity. Leo has struggled to launch its satellites on time, prompting Amazon to request a deadline extension from the FCC.
Amazon plans on officially launching the Leo service in “mid-2026" when it expects to have around 700 satellites in orbit. But even so, Leo connectivity won’t arrive on Delta aircraft until 2028; JetBlue will get it sometime in 2027. Both airlines plan to offer Leo for free, though Delta will require users to sign up for its free loyalty program.
Amazon's Leo aviation antenna incorporates technology from the Leo Ultra dish meant for enterprise users. One key difference is that the plane-based equipment can survive “the demands and stresses of aviation,” including harsh weather and low temperatures.