Aer Lingus has announced plans to install Elon Musk’s Starlink wi-fi across its long-haul fleet by 2027.
The airline said the technology is a “gamechanger”, giving its customers the ability to stream, work, game, and stay connected while travelling.
But what is Starlink? And how does it work?
Starlink wi-fi
Starlink is a constellation of more than 10,000 satellites that orbit Earth at approximately 550km, enabling low-latency connectivity.
The satellite constellation technology uses a low Earth orbit to deliver broadband internet capable of supporting streaming, online gaming, video calls, and more.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX is currently the only satellite operator with the ability to launch its own satellites as needed.
Most satellite internet services come from single geostationary satellites that orbit the planet at 35,786 km.
As a result, SpaceX said the round trip data time between the user and satellite, also known as latency, is high, making it nearly impossible to support streaming, online gaming, video calls or other high data rate activities.
However, because Starlink is a constellation of thousands of satellites that orbit the planet much closer to Earth, latency is significantly lower, at around 25 ms vs 600+ ms.
Starlink on Aer Lingus
Aer Lingus’ first plane equipped with Starlink is an airbus A330, EI‑EIN.
After being fitted with Starlink antennas, the airline said the plane underwent extensive testing to prepare for its first customer flight.
Passengers on Sunday morning’s flight from Dublin to New York JFK were the first to avail of the service.
Aer Lingus said this aircraft will now pave the way for a wider fleet rollout later this year.
The airline said it will equip all aircraft with Starlink in a phased rollout, beginning with aircraft flying to North America, followed by those serving European destinations.
Starlink wi-fi is expected to be available across the airline’s long-haul fleet by Q1 2027.