Banyan Air Service to Complete SmartSky® Installation on the HondaJet

SmartSky, provider of the most advanced inflight air-to-ground (ATG) connectivity for business aviation, announces that key sales and installation partner Banyan Air Service is completing the first of type installation of the SmartSky LITE™ system on a HA-420 HondaJet. The project supports the recent deal between Volato and SmartSky to equip Volato’s HondaJet fractional fleet of 20 new aircraft and paves the way for other in-service HondaJets to have SmartSky’s next-generation connectivity system.

Banyan, a maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) operation based in Fort Lauderdale, FL, is an authorized HondaJet service center and will complete the installation at Banyan’s KFXE facility. The company has been ranked #1 U.S FBO by Professional Pilot magazine.

“This exciting installation project makes the groundbreaking technology pioneered by SmartSky available for Volato," says Danny Santiago, director of Avionics for Banyan Air Service. "It is especially exciting because SmartSky LITE brings streaming-level, no-device-limits connectivity to light jets for the first time ever. This will elevate the flying experience for owners and operators of this class of aircraft who are seeking a high-performing, streaming-capable, in-flight ATG connectivity solution for light jets like the HA-420.”

Upon project completion, expected in Q2 2024 following other maintenance and updates on the aircraft, Volato will be able to offer SmartSky connectivity that users describe as “game-changing.”  

“Volato is hyper-focused on delivering the best possible customer experience. With the addition of SmartSky technology to our HondaJet floating fleet, our customers will be able to livestream sports, make video calls, send large documents, and connect as they desire,” says Mike Pracher, COO of Volato. 

Along with the installation agreement, the two companies recently signed a strategic agreement for Banyan to provide full-scale maintenance for the HondaJet fleet on-site at Volato’s primary operational base in St. Augustine, FL. 

Many more SmartSky installations and STC projects are scheduled and in progress. For the status of specific aircraft models, visit www.smartskynetworks.com/stc. 

“The SmartSky team is proud to continue to work with Banyan on pivotal projects like this one, which will bring unprecedented connectivity performance to Volato customers, thanks to the fantastic cooperative efforts of the Banyan team and SmartSky MRO account manager, Chris Buff," says Rich Pilock, vice president of Connectivity Sales for SmartSky Networks. "This project makes SmartSky available to more travelers at a time when uninterrupted connectivity inflight is imperative. It also provides owners faced with upgrading their soon-to-be obsolete legacy ATG system a significantly better option to consider.”  

For more information, visit www.banyanair.com.