Iridium Eyes Aviation Disruption with Certus Safety and Space-Based VHF

Iridium sees opportunity to disrupt the aviation status quo as Certus service nears safety clearance and Aireon pursues space-based VHF.

Published on Mar. 1, 2026

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Iridium, the L-band Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite operator, is positioning itself to disrupt the aviation industry with its next-generation Certus satcom service and its joint venture partner Aireon's space-based VHF initiative. Certus is undergoing flight trials to support aircraft safety services, while Aireon aims to relieve VHF congestion using satellite links. Iridium sees a $1 billion-plus addressable market in aviation safety and is working to evolve standards for Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS) as part of its broader strategy to expand its footprint in the aviation sector.

Why it matters

Iridium's efforts to get Certus approved for aircraft safety services and Aireon's space-based VHF initiative have the potential to significantly disrupt the aviation industry, which has traditionally relied on ground-based VHF towers for communications. If successful, these technologies could provide more cost-effective and efficient satellite-based solutions for air traffic control and aircraft operations, potentially leading to improved safety and operational efficiency across the industry.

The details

Iridium's legacy service currently supports controller-to-pilot data links and other cockpit communications on over 60,000 aircraft. The company's work to ensure that next-gen Certus is approved by the Federal Aviation Administration for aircraft safety services recently took a significant step forward, with several aircraft now fitted with the requisite avionics and participating in flight trials. Once the flight trials are complete, Iridium expects to receive final clearance from the FAA for Certus to support FANS-1/A, the Future Air Navigation System, which enables direct datalink communications between pilots and air traffic control. Additionally, Aireon's space-based VHF initiative aims to enable pilots to use existing VHF radios to communicate with ATC over Iridium's L-band links, potentially taking traffic back from the terrestrial network.

  • Iridium expects to receive final clearance from the FAA for Certus to support FANS-1/A in the coming months.
  • Certus-equipped aircraft are expected to be installed in Airbus and Boeing types in 2027 and 2028.

The players

Iridium

An L-band Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite operator that provides communication services to the aviation industry, including controller-to-pilot data links and other cockpit communications.

Aireon

A joint venture between Iridium and several air navigation service providers that powers a global space-based ADS-B flight tracking service.

Matthew Desch

The CEO of Iridium, who discussed the company's plans to disrupt the aviation industry during an earnings conference call.

Viasat

A competitor to Iridium in the aviation safety market, offering the L-band geostationary (GEO) satellite-based SwiftBroadband-Safety product.

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)

The U.S. government agency responsible for approving Certus for aircraft safety services.

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What they’re saying

“Now the avionics suppliers who have built those solutions can start talking to the Boeings and Airbus' about getting those installed certainly in 2027 and 2028 into a lot of vehicles.”

— Matthew Desch, CEO, Iridium (Earnings conference call)

“Together with some additional investment, we think our work with Aireon could serve a $1 billion-plus addressable market, leveraging our unique fully global network.”

— Matthew Desch, CEO, Iridium (Earnings conference call)

What’s next

Once the flight trials for Certus are complete, Iridium expects to receive final clearance from the FAA for the service to support FANS-1/A, the Future Air Navigation System.

The takeaway

Iridium's efforts to get Certus approved for aircraft safety services and Aireon's space-based VHF initiative have the potential to significantly disrupt the aviation industry, providing more cost-effective and efficient satellite-based solutions for air traffic control and aircraft operations. If successful, these technologies could lead to improved safety and operational efficiency across the industry.