British Airways to Launch Free Starlink Wifi Across Global Routes Next Year

British Airways’ parent company, International Airlines Group (IAG), has announced a partnership with Elon Musk’s Starlink to deliver complimentary high-speed wifi on its flights. The deal, which positions IAG as a leader in onboard connectivity, is set to take effect in the coming year. The new service will be rolled out initially across British Airways and its sister airlines, Iberia and Aer Lingus, covering all European flights as well as transatlantic and wider global routes.

IAG stated that Starlink’s next-generation satellite network would provide connection speeds as fast as, or even exceeding, those offered by typical home broadband services in the United Kingdom. IAG anticipates download speeds between 150 and 450 megabytes per second (MBps) and upload speeds of 20 to 70MBps for passengers. According to IAG, these speeds mean that a high-definition film could be downloaded in approximately five minutes while on board.

Passengers flying with budget subsidiaries Iberia Express and Vueling will be charged a nominal fee for access to wifi. Nonetheless, the group’s chief executive, Luis Gallego, remarked that staying connected while flying has become essential for modern airline customers, and the introduction of reliable, high-speed Starlink wifi will transform the onboard experience.

The Starlink system is expected to be fitted to over 500 aircraft within IAG’s 600-jet strong fleet. Jets scheduled for retirement will not be retrofitted, instead being replaced in due course with new Boeing and Airbus models equipped for Starlink connectivity from delivery.

The move is expected to place IAG ahead of European competitors, including premium operators such as Lufthansa, Air France and KLM, as well as low-cost rivals Ryanair and easyJet, the latter two of which currently do not offer wifi options. The step comes as competition intensifies after major US carriers, including United Airlines, Delta Air Lines and American Airlines, have entered an intense ‘wifi speed war’ in partnership with Starlink.

As demand for in-flight connectivity grows, IAG’s investment signals confidence in the selling power of premium passenger experience and digital infrastructure, setting a new benchmark for the aviation industry on both sides of the Atlantic.