Latvian airline airBaltic announced on Tuesday it has picked SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet for its in-flight internet, coming soon to select flights.
AirBaltic says its entire Airbus A220-300 fleet will get complimentary Starlink Wi-Fi, without any login pages or hassles. “From the moment passengers walk onto the plane, they’ll have access to the internet,” says airBaltic.
Starlink satellite internet offers high download speeds and lower latency, allowing for video streaming, video conferencing and online gaming.
“This marks a historic moment for our airline and the industry as a whole. Soon airBaltic will become the first airline in Europe to launch high-speed, unlimited, and free-of-charge satellite internet on board. We are excited to further improve our service to our passengers who will soon benefit from this internet connectivity onboard our flights within the airBaltic network in Europe and beyond,” said Martin Gauss, Chief Executive Officer of airBaltic, in a statement.
“By becoming the first European airline to implement Starlink fleetwide, airBaltic is setting a new standard in ensuring its passengers have an internet experience that they have come to expect in our modern age,” said SpaceX Vice President of Starlink Sales Jonathan Hofeller, in a statement.
“With Starlink’s high-speed, low-latency internet, airBaltic passengers will have internet similar to or better than what they experience at home. Customers will walk on the plane and the internet will simply work, making the stress of login pages and downloading large files before takeoff a thing of the past,” added Hofeller.
According to airBaltic, it is working with SpaceX to receive the required STC (supplemental type certification) approval and expects to start installing Starlink hardware on its entire Airbus A220-300 fleet in 2023.
