Over 23,000 commercial aircraft will offer in-flight entertainment and connectivity (IFEC) to their passengers by 2027 (up from 7,400 aircraft in 2017), according to a new report from Euroconsult. The report covers prospects for commercial airlines and business aviation.

The report indicates that around 90 airlines had either installed or committed to install IFEC solutions as of January 2018. In-flight wifi is now seen as a key factor in the increasingly competitive airline market.

According to the report, new-generation satellite systems and air-to-ground networks will dramatically increase available bandwidth, enhancing the customer experience.

Euroconsult is also publishing for the first time a database of connected aircraft — a list of more than 20,000 commercial aircraft enabling users to determine whether specific aircraft provide in-flight connectivity and the corresponding connectivity solution.

The report predicts that revenues from in-flight connectivity for airline connectivity suppliers will grow from $1.2bn in 2017 to $8.7bn for commercial aviation alone by 2027.

At the satellite-operator level, the revenues coming from the lease of FSS satellite capacity is expected to reach $1.6 billion in 2027. High-throughput satellite (HTS) supply is expected to grow from 0.5 Terabits per second (Tbps) in 2013 to almost 11 Tbps in 2022.