Press release
ITA Airways adopts next-generation Iris technology on its flights
Award-winning Iris datalink service is paving the way to trajectory-based operations, which can cut emissions and enhance efficiency for European
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[{"type":"text","content":"Award-winning Iris datalink service is paving the way to trajectory-based operations, which can cut emissions and enhance efficiency for European airlinesROME, Dec. 10, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Viasat Inc., a global leader in satellite communications, today announced that ITA Airways, Italy’s reference carrier, is taking to the sky equipped with Iris technology. The award-winning European Space Agency (ESA) Iris programme, within ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications, is led by Viasat and takes advantage of next-generation satellite technologies to help modernize Air Traffic Management (ATM). The service is underpinned by Iris Service Provider and key project partner ESSP, who holds the EASA certification for Iris services provision and has onboarded 19 leading Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs) for the Pre-commercial Flights phase, a crucial validation period ahead of deployment. This phase will conclude by the end of 2025. Starting in 2026, the commercial phase will begin with the goal of onboarding 28 ‘Single Europan Sky (SES) 2+’ ANSPs by 2032, supporting operations of more than 1,100 Iris-capable aircraft flying in Europe. The Iris programme puts the Single European Sky initiative, which aims to reform ATM in Europe, into action, with ITA Airways one of several airlines leading the way. The Iris capability will initially be rolled out on four ITA Airways Airbus A320neo aircraft. Iris will enable ITA Airways to unlock increased operational efficiencies, achieving improvements in fuel burn and reductions in emissions, as well as contributing to improved airspace modernization across Europe. This is critical in the industry’s continued path towards net zero and 4D trajectory-based operations. Offered as a fully developed and certified capability by Airbus on the A320 and A330 series aircraft, Iris enables initial 4D trajectory-based operations to share trajectory and intent-based operational information. This enables airlines to avoid holding patterns, calculate the shortest available routes, cruise at optimum altitudes, and benefit from continuous climb and descent pathways. It also paves the way for multilink data link communications using both VDL2 and Iris SATCOM methods, which is critical to modernizing ATM. Iris is powered by Viasat’s SwiftBroadband-Safety (SB-S) connectivity platform. ITA Airways will operate...