Novaspace's latest In-Flight Connectivity report has some news for anyone who thought the skies might be a last refuge from the internet: by 2035, over 70,000 aircraft will be connected to the web. That's up from roughly 39,500 at the end of 2025, with business aviation currently making up about 70% of that fleet. But commercial aviation is about to catch up, pushing IFC penetration from 48% to 72% in commercial planes and from 67% to 88% in business jets.

"Momentum is now clearly shifting, with commercial aviation adoption set to accelerate significantly," said Vishal Patil, Senior Consultant at Novaspace, in what might be the understatement of the decade for anyone who's ever been stuck behind a screaming toddler on a six-hour flight.

The shift is being driven by a rapid move to Non-Geostationary Orbit (NGSO) connectivity, which has grown from a measly 1% of the market in 2024 to 14% in 2025, and is forecast to hit 82% within ten years. That's good news for bandwidth: total capacity leased for IFC is projected to increase nineteen-fold, from 212 Gbps to 3.9 Tbps by 2035, with NGSO solutions gobbling up 89% of that.

Despite falling unit capacity pricing, operator revenues are expected to rise to $2.9 billion by 2035 - a 16% CAGR - with NGSO-driven demand accounting for 87% of that. So yes, airlines will make money off your desperate need to refresh your Twitter feed at 35,000 feet.

Novaspace's report, which covers everything from service provider market shares to regulatory landscapes, is the kind of deep dive that will keep aerospace consultants busy for years. And if you're wondering who Novaspace is, they're the leading independent consulting firm for the global space sector, with over 40 years of experience and offices in 11 cities. Trusted by more than 1,200 clients in over 60 countries, they're basically the grown-ups in the room when it comes to space market intelligence.