Air New Zealand will trial SpaceX’s Starlink inflight internet service on its domestic fleet. The carrier plans to install the system on an ATR 72 turboprop and an A320 in late 2024 as part of the program.
Whether travelling for work or leisure, we know maintaining seamless internet connectivity is something that will transform the travel experience for customers. Our free and accessible WiFi onboard international flights has proved incredibly popular among customers, so we can’t wait to bring connectivity to domestic flights.
– Nikhil Ravishankar, Air New Zealand’s Chief Digital Officer
The company plans a 4-6 month trial of the service. Assuming that is successful it anticipates installation across most of the domestic fleet beginning later in 2025. While Air New Zealand has offered inflight Wi-Fi on its long-haul fleet, powered by Viasat‘s (previously Inmarsat‘s) GX network, it shied away from fitting its domestic fleet. With the smaller terminal available from SpaceX, combined with evolving customer expectations, the carrier can expand its offerings. And because it already offers Wi-Fi to passengers for free, Air New Zealand does not have to worry about that passenger experience split on its domestic and international aircraft.
Installing inflight Wi-Fi on the ATR-72 fleet represents a first for the two companies. Namely, no turboprop operators have bothered to provision inflight internet service to date on a turboprop aircraft. The de Havilland Aircraft company also announced a Starlink offering for its Q400 planes, but has seen no takers as of yet. At least one report suggests Air New Zealand will not fit its Dash 8-300s with the service.
Starlink also represents the smallest jets currently flying with internet on board, with its JSX Embraer implementation.
While the deal is a trial, the companies have outlined the timeframe for making a decision on whether to move forward with additional installs or not. That’s a notable difference from the vague announcement made by Qatar Airways and SpaceX a couple months ago.
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