David Russell Joins Gogo as Senior Vice President and General Manager of Europe and the Middle East for Commercial Aviation

ITASCA, Ill., Jan. 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Gogo, a leader of in-flight connectivity and a pioneer of wireless in-flight digital entertainment solutions, announced today that David Russell will join the company as senior vice president and general manager of Europe and the Middle East for commercial aviation.

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David brings more than 20 years of management experience at leading aviation IT services and telecommunications companies and most recently served as vice president of strategic programmes for SITA Group in London.  Prior to that, David served as COO of OnAir.

David will be challenged with growing and managing Gogo's international business as the company begins to distribute Inmarsat's Global Xpress satellite connectivity service and expand Gogo's wireless in-flight entertainment solution globally.  Pursuant to its memorandum of understanding with Inmarsat, Gogo expects to begin in-flight testing of the Global Xpress aeronautical services after the launch of the first Inmarsat-5 satellite, which is scheduled for mid-2013.

"David has a proven track record of leadership in our space and we're excited about having him join our team and lead our efforts in Europe and the Middle East," said Michael Small, Gogo's president and CEO.  "We've had many conversations with international air carriers for both our in-flight entertainment solution and connectivity solutions.  Now that we've announced our partnership with Inmarsat to distribute what we believe is the first global Ka-band connectivity solution for the aero market, we're excited to be able to leverage David's expertise to expand those services to the global market."

In addition to Russell, Gogo veteran Niels Steenstrup will become vice president of international operations.  Niels has extensive global product, marketing and sales experience in the aviation industry including his experience at Connexion by Boeing where he led marketing and sales activities for Europe, the Middle East and the Americas.

"Niels has been at the forefront of in-flight connectivity through his experience at Connexion by Boeing and he's played an instrumental role in getting Gogo's services up and running," added Small.  "His ties to the international in-flight connectivity and entertainment community make him a perfect fit to join our leadership team overseas."

Gogo's international operations will be based in London.  Aircell currently has an existing global sales, support and marketing infrastructure in the business aviation market, all of that will remain in place.  For more information, or for contact information for David and Niels, contact [email protected].

About Gogo

Gogo is fast becoming everyone's favorite part of flying. By allowing travelers to get online, in air, Gogo keeps them connected to life. Using the Gogo exclusive network and services, passengers with laptops and other Wi-Fi enabled devices can get online on more than 1,200 commercial aircraft including all domestic AirTran Airways and Virgin America flights, on all domestic mainline Delta Air Lines flights and on select Air Canada, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Frontier Airlines, United Airlines, and US Airways flights.

Back on the ground, Gogo's 400+ employees in Itasca, IL, Broomfield, CO, and London are working to continually redefine flying as a productive, socially connected, and all-around more satisfying experience. Connect with us at www.gogoair.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/gogo and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/gogo.

Contact:
Steve Nolan
630-647-1074
[email protected]

SOURCE Gogo