BROOMFIELD, Colo., May 15, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Gogo (NASDAQ: GOGO),
the leading global provider of broadband connectivity products and
services for aviation, is announcing K5-Aviation as its first 2Ku
business aviation customer in Europe, marking a significant milestone for
the company. Gogo's 2Ku technology is the leading in-flight
connectivity technology in commercial aviation and is available to
business aviation customers flying larger private aircraft.
"The 2Ku era has begun in business aviation," said Sergio
Aguirre, Gogo Business Aviation's general manager. "2Ku is a
proven technology that delivers an experience unlike any other.
This is the first of what we expect to be many more business
aviation customers to choose 2Ku for global in-flight
connectivity."
The first airframe in business aviation that will fly with
Gogo's 2Ku technology is an Airbus ACJ319 operated by K5-Aviation,
a leading operator of ACJ aircraft, based in Germany. Fokker Services B.V. managed the 2Ku
installation design and system integration including the EASA STC.
Installation was performed at its facilities in Hoogerheide,
The Netherlands.
"This is a great day for K5-Aviation because it brings Gogo's
newest technology to our cabin which means our passengers can stay
connected almost anywhere we fly around the globe," said
Luca Madone of K5-Aviation.
"Productivity during flight will increase with 2Ku, which will
allow our passengers to drive their business forward even when
traveling. They will also have the ability to live stream news,
entertainment and sporting events."
"We see it as a great opportunity because we installed and
certified the Gogo 2Ku technology in one of our completed Airbus
VIP aircraft," said Johan van Dorst,
director of sales for Fokker Services B.V. "Having an EASA STC
available for Airbus ACJ's will greatly enhance our business, as
well as Gogo's."
Gogo's 2Ku technology delivers industry-leading performance
globally, which means passengers can do the same things they do on
the ground. For business aviation, that means live video
conferencing, fast Internet browsing and streaming video. 2Ku is
designed to take advantage of innovations happening in space and is
compatible with newer high-throughput and low-earth orbit
satellites when they become available. This means the technology
will get better in time without having to touch an aircraft. This
flexibility means Gogo's customers can be confident the system is
future ready and ahead of the curve from a technology
perspective.
2Ku is a unique dual antenna system developed by Gogo to bring
global streaming-capable Internet to large aircraft. The technology
benefits from global coverage and the redundancy of more than 180
satellites in the Ku-band.
With more than 170 systems installed today across eight airlines
on five continents, and more than 1600 total aircraft awarded to
2Ku across 14 of the largest airlines around the globe, 2Ku is one
of the most successful in-flight connectivity products ever
developed.
About Gogo
With more than two decades of experience,
Gogo is the leader in in-flight connectivity and wireless
entertainment services for commercial and business aircraft around
the world. Gogo connects aircraft, providing its aviation
partners with the world's most powerful network and platform to
help optimize their operations. Gogo's superior technologies,
best-in-class service, and global reach help planes fly smarter,
our aviation partners perform better, and their passengers travel
happier.
Today, Gogo has partnerships with 17 commercial airlines and is
now installed on more than 3,000 commercial aircraft. More than
7,000 business aircraft are also flying with its solutions,
including the world's largest fractional ownership fleets. Gogo is
also a factory option at every major business aircraft
manufacturer. Gogo has more than 1,100 employees and is
headquartered in Chicago, Ill., with additional facilities
in Broomfield, Colo., and various locations overseas. Connect
with us at www.gogoair.com and business.gogoair.com.
About K5-Aviation
K5-Aviation was founded in
2010 in Germany by four
experienced aviation experts. K5-Aviation is known in the market to
challenge the industry's standards; therefore K5-Aviation develops
with its partners new groundbreaking solutions for the business
aviation sector. It currently operates three Airbus ACJ319 and two
Bombardier Global Express aircraft worldwide with one more
ACJ319neo and one Global 7000 on order for delivery in 2019. All
employees of K5-Aviation have several years of professional
experience in aviation and have worked for AOC holders operating 20
VIP aircraft and more. They all felt the need to offer a return to
quality of operation rather than quantity. The license to operate
aircraft commercially (Aircraft Operating Certi cate – AOC) was
issued by the German Aviation Authority in June 2011, and shortly after, K5-Aviation
obtained approval for low visibility operations up to the highest
Category IIIb without decision height and ETOPS 180 for Long Range
Operation 180 minutes away from any suitable airport.
About Fokker Services B.V.
Fokker Services B.V. is a
company of GKN Aerospace and is involved in Boeing 737 series as
well as Airbus 320 family aircraft transfer activities including
heavy maintenance. Due to its strong engineering background, Fokker
Services B.V. specializes in green aircraft completions,
conversions and refurbishments, both for the VIP and the Special
Mission market. Fokker Services B.V. has facilities throughout
the Netherlands, Singapore and the U.S. For our capabilities
and certifications, please visit
www.Fokker.com.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
Certain disclosures in this press release and related comments
by our management include forward-looking statements within the
meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995. These forward-looking statements include, without
limitation, statements regarding our business outlook, industry,
business strategy, plans, goals and expectations concerning our
market position, international expansion, future technologies,
future operations, margins, profitability, future efficiencies,
capital expenditures, liquidity and capital resources and other
financial and operating information. When used in this discussion,
the words "anticipate," "assume," "believe," "budget," "continue,"
"could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "plan,"
"potential," "predict," "project," "should," "will," "future" and
the negative of these or similar terms and phrases are intended to
identify forward-looking statements in this press release.
Forward-looking statements reflect our current expectations
regarding future events, results or outcomes. These expectations
may or may not be realized. Although we believe the expectations
reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we can
give you no assurance these expectations will prove to have been
correct. Some of these expectations may be based upon assumptions,
data or judgments that prove to be incorrect. Actual events,
results and outcomes may differ materially from our expectations
due to a variety of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and
other factors. Although it is not possible to identify all of these
risks and factors, they include, among others, the following: the
loss of, or failure to realize benefits from, agreements with our
airline partners or any failure to renew any existing agreements
upon expiration or termination; the failure to maintain airline
satisfaction with our equipment or our service; any inability to
timely and efficiently deploy our 2Ku service or develop and deploy
our next-generation ATG solution or other components of our
technology roadmap for any reason, including regulatory delays or
failures, or delays on the part of any of our suppliers, some of
whom are single source, or the failure by our airline partners to
roll out equipment upgrades, new services or adopt new technologies
in order to support increased network capacity demands; the timing
of deinstallation of our equipment from aircraft, including
deinstallations resulting from aircraft retirements and other
deinstallations permitted by certain airline contract provisions;
the loss of relationships with original equipment manufacturers or
dealers; our ability to develop or purchase ATG and satellite
network capacity sufficient to accommodate current and expected
growth in passenger demand in North America and
internationally as we expand; our reliance on third-party
suppliers, some of whom are single source, for satellite capacity
and other services and the equipment we use to provide services to
commercial airlines and their passengers and business aviation
customers; unfavorable economic conditions in the airline industry
and/or the economy as a whole; our ability to expand our
international or domestic operations, including our ability to grow
our business with current and potential future airline partners; an
inability to compete effectively with other current or future
providers of in-flight connectivity services and other products and
services that we offer, including on the basis of price, service
performance and line-fit availability; our ability to successfully
develop and monetize new products and services such as Gogo Vision
and Gogo TV, including those that were recently released, are
currently being offered on a limited or trial basis, or are in
various stages of development; our ability to certify and install
our equipment and deliver our products and services, including
newly developed products and services, on schedules consistent with
our contractual commitments to customers; the failure of our
equipment or material defects or errors in our software resulting
in recalls or substantial warranty claims; a revocation of, or
reduction in, our right to use licensed spectrum, the availability
of other air-to-ground spectrum to a competitor or the repurposing
by a competitor of other spectrum for air-to-ground use; our use of
open source software and licenses; the effects of service
interruptions or delays, technology failures and equipment failures
or malfunctions arising from defects or errors in our software or
defects in or damage to our equipment; the limited operating
history of our CA-ROW segment; our ability to transition from the
retail model to the airline directed model in CA and changes in
contracts with our airline partners may arise in connection with
such transition; increases in our projected capital expenditures
due to, among other things, unexpected costs incurred in connection
with the roll-out of our technology roadmap or our international
expansion; compliance with U.S. and foreign government regulations
and standards, including those related to regulation of the
Internet, including e-commerce or online video distribution
changes, and the installation and operation of satellite equipment
and our ability to obtain and maintain all necessary regulatory
approvals to install and operate our equipment in the United
States and foreign jurisdictions; our, or our technology
suppliers', inability to effectively innovate; costs associated
with defending pending or future intellectual property infringement
and other litigation or claims; our ability to protect our
intellectual property; breaches of the security of our information
technology network, resulting in unauthorized access to our
customers' credit card information or other personal information;
any negative outcome or effects of future litigation; our
substantial in indebtedness; limitations and restrictions in the
agreements governing our indebtedness and our ability to service
our indebtedness; our ability to obtain additional financing on
acceptable terms or at all; fluctuations in our operating results;
our ability to attract and retain customers and to capitalize on
revenue from our platform; the demand for and market acceptance of
our products and services; changes or developments in the
regulations that apply to us, our business and our industry,
including changes or developments affecting the ability of
passengers or airlines to use our in-flight connectivity services,
including the recent U.S. and U.K. bans on the use of certain
personal devices such as laptops and tablets on certain aircraft
flying certain routes; a future act or threat of terrorism,
cyber-security attack or other events that could result in adverse
regulatory changes or developments as referenced above, or
otherwise adversely affect our business and industry; our ability
to attract and retain qualified employees, including key personnel;
the effectiveness of our marketing and advertising and our ability
to maintain and enhance our brands; our ability to manage our
growth in a cost-effective manner and integrate and manage
acquisitions; compliance with anti-corruption laws and regulations
in the jurisdictions in which we operate, including the Foreign
Corrupt Practices Act and the (U.K.) Bribery Act 2010; restrictions
on the ability of U.S. companies to do business in foreign
countries, including, among others, restrictions imposed by the
U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control; difficulties in collecting
accounts receivable.
Additional information concerning these and other factors can
be found under the caption "Risk Factors" in our Annual Report on
Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016 filed with
the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 27,
2017 and our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter
ended March 31, 2017 filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission on May 4, 2017.
Any one of these factors or a combination of these factors
could materially affect our financial condition or future results
of operations and could influence whether any forward-looking
statements contained in this report ultimately prove to be
accurate. Our forward-looking statements are not guarantees of
future performance, and you should not place undue reliance on
them. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date made
and we undertake no obligation to update or revise publicly any
forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information,
future events or otherwise.
Media Relations
Contact:
|
Investor Relations
Contact:
|
Dave
Mellin
|
Varvara
Alva
|
Director, Public
Relations & Communications
|
Vice President,
Investor Relations
|
Office
+1.303.301.3606
|
Office
+1.312.517.6460
|
dmellin@gogoair.com
|
ir@gogoair.com
|
@GogoBizAv
|
|
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SOURCE Gogo