ViaSat, Finnair Sign In-Flight Connectivity Deal, El Al in the Wings

ViaSat and Finnair signed a deal for installation of an in-flight connectivity network on the air carrier's Airbus A320 short-haul fleet flying in Europe, with the equipment installation to be done by June 2018, ViaSat said in a news release Thursday. ViaSat said it partnered with Eutelsat to provide Europe-wide coverage of satellite-based broadband. It also said separately that its joint offering with Eutelsat is in customer trial stage with El Al Israel Airlines, with full retail service expected to begin before year's end.