Inmarsat Classic Aero
The trusted choice for cockpit safety services, serving the aviation industry for the past 25 years.

Our popular and reliable Classic Aero communications service, launched in 1990, has paved the way to aviation’s digital future.

Classic Aero – the first generation service
Inmarsat has steadily set the bar for flight deck communications, with over two decades of commitment to aviation safety services. More than 90% of the world’s aircraft crossing oceans use our safety and operational services for communication and surveillance today – over 12,000 aircraft in total.

In 2015, Inmarsat reported about 100,000 aircraft positions a day and 35 million throughout the whole year, through our extensive satellite network. Most of the world’s leading airlines have used our Classic Aero services for over 25 years – as well as small, medium and large business jet owners, general aviation and government agencies.

Safety-critical services delivered reliably for decades
When Inmarsat began offering Classic Aero in 1990, the service made a powerful impact. By delivering surveillance with Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Contract (ADS-C) and communications with Controller-Pilot Data Link Communications (CPDLC) communications, we made it possible to reduce the separation requirements between aircraft in the sky, expanding oceanic airspace capacity by over 300% and savings airlines millions over the following decades.

Classic Aero’s multi-channel voice, data, and fax capabilities work over in three types of antennas: high gain (Aero H and H+) and intermediate gain (Aero I). They offer International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)-approved communications for safety and regularity of flights along national and international civil air routes. Our equipment is standard on the world’s oceanic air routes and meets ICAO’s global flight tracking requirements using ADS-C.

And now, our satellite communications are evolving once more.

SB-S – a revolution in the sky
While Classic Aero continues to connect aircraft around the world, our newest technology is ready to bring the cockpit into the future. Inmarsat’s SB-S service is the next generation of operations and safety connectivity, delivering game-changing visibility into airline operations. It’s the first and only global, secure, IP connection, delivering incomparable amounts of protected data everywhere airlines fly