airBaltic’s CEO Martin Gauss says the airline remains on track to offer free in-flight WiFi across its fleet. The carrier is teaming up with SpaceX’s Starlink and will become the first European airline to provide Starlink’s free high-speed internet.
airBaltic says Starlink service coming soon
Gauss posted the update on his X account, but didn’t give a firm date for when the first Starlink-equipped plane would enter service. Back in January 2023, airBaltic
announced its plan to equip its entire Airbus A220-300 fleet with Starlink’s inflight connectivity (IFC) solution and would offer it as complimentary to all passengers.
While initially hoping to install Starlink across its fleet starting at the end of 2023, the airline conducted its first ground tests of Starlink in March 2024 and continues to work with SpaceX to achieve supplemental type certification (STC). The carrier indicated earlier this year that it would start fitting its A220 fleet with Starlink hardware by the end of 2024.
Starlink’s growing popularity
Since debuting with JSX in 2022, Starlink Aviation has expanded rapidly and looks set to become a leader in inflight connectivity. One of the reasons for its popularity is its superior speed and reliability – SpaceX’s Starlink constellation can deliver speeds of up to 350 Mbps and latency as low as 20 ms, benefiting from its position in Low Earth Orbit (LEO).
At an altitude of around 550km, this is 65 times closer to Earth than competitors that use Geostationary Orbit (GEO), giving Starlink a clear advantage in connection quality. This essentially lets passengers access home-broadband-quality internet at over 30,000 feet, enabling data-heavy internet usage, such as streaming and gaming.
Last week, United Airlines announced it had opted for SpaceX’s Starlink network to offer passengers free in-flight WiFi starting in 2025. The carrier will eventually install Starlink hardware on its entire 1,000+ fleet over the next several years and plans to start testing later this year.
UA joins a host of other airlines to commit to Starlink’s product, including Hawaiian Airlines, Qatar Airways, Air New Zealand, JSX and WestJet. Hawaiian became the first US airline to roll out Starlink in February and now offers free WiFi across its A321neo fleet.
Photo: SpaceX
There are now over 6,000 Starlink satellites in orbit, and the service has attracted over 3 million customers in over 100 countries and counting. Along with its aviation product, Starlink Aviation, the company offers residential, business and even maritime packages, the latter of which got a US Navy chief in trouble after she secretly installed a Starlink dish on a naval warship.