Saudi Arabia’s national carrier Saudia has completed a demonstration flight of a new high-speed in-flight connectivity (IFC) service powered by Neo Space Group (NSG), a Public Investment Fund-backed space services company, marking a significant step in the kingdom’s ambition to build a home-grown digital aviation ecosystem.
The demonstration flight — SV1044 from King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah to King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh — was conducted on an Airbus A321 and carried senior officials including Saleh Al-Jasser, Minister of Transport and Logistics Services and Chairman of Saudia, and Ibrahim Al-Omar, Director General of Saudia Group. Officials watched a live Saudi Pro League broadcast during the flight at an altitude of 35,000 feet, with the IFC system maintaining stable, high-speed connectivity throughout.
The service currently delivers speeds of up to 300 Mbps, with planned upgrades targeting speeds in excess of 800 Mbps. Passengers will be able to connect multiple devices simultaneously without requiring re-authentication between switches. Critically, Saudia has confirmed the service will be offered free of charge to all passengers across all cabin classes once the full fleet rollout is complete.
NSG, which operates under PIF and does not own satellite infrastructure, delivers the service by leasing capacity from Luxembourg-based SES via the SES Open Orbits multi-orbit platform — blending geostationary (GEO) and medium Earth orbit (MEO) coverage for low latency and high throughput. The model positions NSG as a systems integrator rather than a satellite operator, comparable to rivals Panasonic Avionics and SITAONAIR.
The choice of NSG is notable given that Saudia had previously been in advanced discussions with Starlink before opting for a domestic supplier — a decision that aligns explicitly with Vision 2030’s digital sovereignty priorities. NSG has also secured IFC contracts with Turkish Airlines, Thai Airways, Uzbekistan Airways, and Riyadh Air.
Editor’s Note: This is the clearest signal yet that Saudi Arabia intends to build its IFC supply chain domestically, routing a marquee national carrier deal to a PIF-owned entity over global competitors including Starlink. For MEA Tech Watch, the story threads satellite infrastructure, Vision 2030’s digital sovereignty agenda, and the accelerating commercialisation of the Saudi space economy — all live threads. NSG’s expanding airline roster across the region warrants continued tracking.
