Freestream Aircraft

Friday, 7 August 2026

Starlink Aviation migrates existing operators to doubled pricing today

Existing Starlink Aviation subscribers migrate to the new pricing today. The rollover begins on or after 7 August 2026 per Starlink's Business Aviation help page. Aviation Global Unlimited moves from $10,000 to $20,000 per month. Worldwide coverage stands, quoted at speeds up to 1 Gbps with the Aviation Performance Antenna. Aviation Regional Unlimited enters at $12,500 per month, with single-continent coverage and speeds up to 500 Mbps. The base plan doubles from $2,000 to $4,000 per month, keeping the 25 GB data cap and up to 250 Mbps at one region. Hardware rises from $145,000 to $200,000 per aircraft, a 38 per cent step before installation and STC costs.

Regional locking now applies on the two lower tiers. Customers select one continental region at contract. Prior contracts allowed any-region roaming within the tier.

Gogo's Galileo HDX antenna, on the OneWeb LEO network, has been shipping since 2025 and quotes up to 60 Mbps. Supplemental type certificates are accumulating across Bombardier, Gulfstream, Dassault and Pilatus platforms. Viasat and Inmarsat Ka-band remain in service on many long-range airframes.

SpaceX communicated the revision by customer memo on 7 and 8 July 2026, alongside an update to Starlink's Business Aviation service page. New customers have paid the new rates since. Existing subscribers were grandfathered until today. Regional Unlimited subscribers who fly across continents now face the Global tier's monthly rate to keep unrestricted coverage. No pilot or airframe reinstallation is required for existing installations, per the customer memo.

Source: Starlink Business Aviation help page; Corporate Jet Investor, 18 July 2026; TechSpot, 18 July 2026; Gogo Galileo.


Also today

Los Angeles County tightens tax rules on visiting aircraft

Los Angeles County has adopted a new interpretation of California tax law on aircraft. The county assessor will assess property tax on aircraft that spend substantial time at its airports. An early-2026 review used aircraft-discovery software to identify nearly 1,000 previously unassessed airframes, representing $3.5 billion in new assessments for the 2026 tax year. Aircraft with as few as 20 overnights at county airports have received escape assessments. The apportionment is based on days present in the county against days elsewhere. Owners whose Part 91 aircraft visit Van Nuys, Burbank, Long Beach or Los Angeles International should expect assessment notices.

Source: Aviation International News, 5 August 2026; Westside Current; Paragon Strategic Partner Program.

Solairus agrees to buy Clay Lacy management and charter

Solairus Aviation has agreed to acquire Clay Lacy Aviation's management and charter divisions. The combined fleet crosses 500 aircraft, with about 200 available for charter. More than 150 of the charter jets are large-cabin and ultra-long-range airframes from Bombardier, Gulfstream and Dassault. The deal is expected to close by end September pending regulatory approval, moving the merged entity to sixth-largest US operator by charter hours. Clay Lacy's FBO, maintenance and real-estate businesses stay with the current ownership under the Clay Lacy name.

Source: Private Jet Card Comparisons, 6 August 2026; Forbes, 6 August 2026.