Aer Lingus passengers to get wifi access next year after deal struck with Starlink  

Elon Musk's satellite internet firm agrees deal with International Airlines Group

Wifi will be available across the Aer Lingus fleet next year after the airline's owner IAG announced an agreement with Elon Musk's Starlink. Picture: Steve Parsons/PA Wire

Wifi will be available across the Aer Lingus fleet next year after the airline's owner IAG announced an agreement with Elon Musk's Starlink.

International Airlines Group said the deal will bring Starlink-enabled high-speed wi-fi connectivity on Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia, Level, and Vueling aircraft, with the first aircraft due to go live with the service in early 2026.

"This will allow customers to stay connected in the skies with download and upload speeds as good or better than home connectivity, enabling fast downloads, streaming and online gaming for customers on IAG airlines," said an IAG statement.

Wi-fi will be available on over 500 aircraft across IAG’s airlines covering short-haul journeys in Europe as well as all the group’s long-haul transatlantic and global routes. The entire IAG fleet numbers around 600 aircraft and all IAG aircraft that are not due for near-term retirement will receive the new wi-fi upgrade.

“Staying connected in the skies is increasingly important to our airlines’ customers. The introduction of high-speed wi-fi from Starlink will transform onboard connectivity, improving both the connection speed and reliability for customers. Customers from all IAG airlines will be able to benefit from the service from next year," said IAG chief executive Luis Gallego. 

Several other airlines including Air France-KLM and Virgin Atlantic have signed wifi connectivity agreements with Starlink. Starlink offers download speeds of between 150 and 450Mb per second and upload speeds of 20 to 70Mb per second. A download speed of 150Mb per second allows users to download a HD movie in around five minutes.

IAG said it has been focusing innovation as part of a group-wide transformation programme, with initiatives including AI to optimise engine maintenance and the launch of the IAGi venturing fund to invest in high-potential startups and scale-ups.