airBaltic to Offer Free
High-Speed In-Flight Internet to Every Passenger
(12/01/23)
The Latvian airline airBaltic has unveiled plans
to equip its entire Airbus A220-300 fleet with SpaceX’s Starlink
internet connectivity system.
The deal means that every passenger will benefit from
complimentary, in-flight high-speed internet access during every
airBaltic flight without hassles or login pages. From the moment
passengers walk onto the plane, they’ll have access to the
internet.
Martin Gauss, Chief Executive Officer of
airBaltic, said, “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.”
Developed by SpaceX, Starlink provides high-speed,
low-latency broadband internet in over 40 countries
around the world and began serving commercial aircraft last year
with in-flight high-speed internet.
With satellites positioned in
low-Earth orbit at an altitude of 550 km, over 65 times closer
than conventional geostationary satellites, Starlink achieves
significantly lower latency and higher transmission speeds for its
end users.
Starlink can deliver up to 350 Mbps to aircraft, and
with latency as low as 20 ms passengers can engage in activities
previously not functional in flight, including online gaming,
virtual private networks and other high data rate activities.
“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. “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.”
airBaltic is now working with SpaceX to achieve the
required STC (supplemental type certification) approval and is
expected to begin installing the product on the entire airBaltic
Airbus A220-300 fleet this year.
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