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Elon Musk's plan to dominate the in-flight internet market gained another customer. Here's every airline using Starlink.

Sep 27, 2024, 18:22 IST
Business Insider
Air France has become the latest airline to announce a deal with Starlink.VIRGINIE VALDOIS/Courtesy of Air France
  • Air France announced it will offer free ultra-high-speed WiFi via Elon Musk's Starlink from 2025.
  • United Airlines also recently signed up for Starlink.
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Elon Musk's Starlink gained another customer Thursday as it continues to gain popularity among airlines.

Air France announced that from 2025, it will offer ultra-high-speed WiFi free of charge to customers in every cabin. The airline called it "a major step in its move upmarket."

Musk celebrated the deal in a post on X, replying to Air France's post by saying: "Air France is installing Starlink!"

The announcement comes just two weeks after United Airlines also confirmed it was signing up to become a Starlink customer.

"Everything you can do on the ground, you'll soon be able to do on board a United plane at 35,000 feet, just about anywhere in the world," said United CEO Scott Kirby.

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"This connectivity opens the door for an even better in-flight entertainment experience, in every seatback — more content, that's more personalized."

Starlink, a SpaceX subsidiary, works thanks to a constellation of over 7,000 satellites in low-earth orbit. This means it can provide connectivity from remote locations, such as during a transatlantic flight, which was previously harder to attain.

Viasat, one of its in-flight WiFi competitors, has only a handful of satellites in a geostationary orbit, which causes a longer time delay. Viasat is used by major US airlines like Delta and American.

Back in January, it became apparent that SpaceX had recently taken ownership of a Boeing 737 with a unique grey livery. Some photos appeared to show it had a Starlink antenna, suggesting it was being used to test the system's application with airlines.

It could be that more carriers sign up to Starlink to keep up with competitors.

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As of the Air France announcement, here are all the airlines that have publicly announced deals with Starlink:

  • Air Baltic
  • Air France
  • Air New Zealand
  • Hawaiian Airlines
  • JSX
  • Qatar Airways
  • United Airlines
  • Zipair
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