Duncan Aviation Places Prepaid Order for 40 Gogo Galileo HDX Systems, Gogo's Largest MRO Order This Year
Why It MattersA prepaid, stocked order shows how MRO shops are buying connectivity hardware ahead of demand so installs fit customer downtime, while compact low-earth-orbit antennas open retrofit work on light jets and turboprops.
What happened
Duncan Aviation has placed a prepaid order for 40 Gogo Galileo HDX systems, which Gogo describes as its largest single MRO order this year.
Nate Klenke, Duncan Aviation's Modifications Sales Manager, said the company anticipates growing demand for Gogo Galileo HDX as expectations around inflight connectivity rise. He said having equipment on hand gives Duncan Aviation greater flexibility to plan installations around customers' schedules, and that the company has confidence in the technology and in Gogo's ability to support its team and customers over the long term.
Gogo Galileo runs on the Eutelsat OneWeb low earth orbit network. The HDX electronically steered antenna is described as compact, lightweight and low power, and can be installed on light jets and turboprops as well as larger-cabin aircraft.
Michael Skou Christensen, chief revenue officer for Gogo, said Duncan Aviation knows what owners and operators need from their connectivity and that Gogo is pleased to support its team as it brings Gogo Galileo to more aircraft. He said Gogo's role is to offer reliable performance and remain available to customers throughout the life of the system.
Industry impact & what to watch
Buying avionics and connectivity hardware in advance changes how an MRO shop schedules work. When units sit on the shelf, an installation can be slotted into a scheduled maintenance visit instead of waiting on a supplier lead time, which matters in a segment where aircraft downtime is the customer's main cost. A prepaid order of this size also commits the shop's own capital to a single product line, a bet on demand that Klenke describes as still growing.
The antenna's stated fit for light jets and turboprops, not only larger-cabin aircraft, points at the broader retrofit market. Smaller aircraft have historically been harder to equip with high-speed connectivity because of antenna size, weight and power draw, so a compact electronically steered unit widens the pool of airframes an MRO can quote for.
The order also reflects the supplier relationship behind it: both executives framed the deal around long-term support through the life of the system, which is what shops and owners weigh when choosing a connectivity platform they will live with for years.
