Scrolling on your phone... even on the plane: Easyjet announces Elon Musk's Starlink high-speed wifi on board its aircraft from next year

Extra comfort for Easyjet's 100 million annual passengers. The airline announces that it will offer Starlink high-speed wifi on board its planes. “Starlink will be deployed from the first half of 2027, with deployment expected to be completed in early 2028.

This deployment will transform the on-board experience for customers, allowing them to watch streaming content, play video games and browse the Internet from their own devices, just as they would on the ground, thanks to a fast and reliable connection managed by Starlink", we can read in a press release. "Innovation is in the DNA of Easyjet, and our partnership with SpaceX, which will allow for the first time to offer the Starlink high-speed Internet connection on board our aircraft, will not only enhance experience offered to millions of passengers, but will also offer an enriched range of options adapted to the requirements of business and leisure travelers when choosing their airline", says Kenton Jarvis, CEO of Easyjet. This technology which is based on a constellation of 9.

000 satellites in low altitude orbit developed by SpaceX, Elon Musk's company, are becoming increasingly popular with air operators around the world but also in certain trains. Air France-KLM also made this choice despite the existence of European solutions like that proposed by Eutelsat but which are considered less effective. Satellite constellation The technology of the satellite constellation in low orbit (600 kilometers altitude), reduces the latency period to improve the speed of the flow – unlike the geostationary satellites used until then, which orbit at 36.

000 kilometers of altitude. “The feedback from customers is extraordinary, truly extraordinary,” assured Ben Smith, the company’s general manager, speaking to BFM Business. The manager announced last September that the entire Air France fleet would be equipped by the end of 2026.

“Starlink is really (the best of the) industry benchmark for wifi, the wifi is much faster, much stronger,” he declared last February. The French company will thus be the first in Europe to offer this technology on board and joins United Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines (United States) and Qatar Airways (Qatar), which have already opted for this solution. It will be followed by Lufthansa which has announced that it will equip its 850 planes.

Air France specifies that the service would be “offered for all passengers in all classes, subject to being members of the Flying Blue loyalty program, to which registration is also free”. It will probably be chargeable at Easyjet, when asked, the company has not yet responded on this point.

Machine-translated from French