Air France has become the latest airline to turn to SpaceX for its Ku-band Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite-powered Starlink inflight connectivity. The SkyTeam member in a statement this morning confirms it will fit its entire fleet with the Starlink IFC system to support free Wi-Fi for passengers.
In doing so, Air France will replace multiple connectivity providers, including Anuvu (formerly Global Eagle), Intelsat (formerly Gogo’s commercial division) and Panasonic Avionics.
Starlink-powered IFC service will gradually start rolling out on Air France aircraft from summer 2025, says the carrier, and passengers can expect a “home-like” experience.
Available in all travel cabins, the free service will be accessible to Flying Blue loyalty members. Those who do not have a Flying Blue account can create one directly onboard for free, says Air France.
SpaceX has been teasing disruption in civil aviation since its service debuted on JSX’s ERJs last year. It recently secured a fleet-wide deal with United Airlines, and counts Hawaiian Airlines, WestJet, airBaltic, Qatar Airways, and ZIPAIR as customers.
Hawaiian said this week that all its Airbus aircraft are now fitted, including its A321neos and A330s.
Air France’s news today comes on the back of French firm Eutelsat Group’s admission that fully-global Eutelsat OneWeb LEO service will not be available until spring 2025 due to ground infrastructure delays. Whether or not this delay factored into Air France’s decision to select Starlink instead of the multi-orbit (and indeed forthcoming LEO-focused) IFC solutions featuring Eutelsat OneWeb, is not immediately clear.
Related Articles:
- United Airlines taps Starlink in-flight Wi-Fi for entire fleet
- WestJet pivots to Starlink to support free Wi-Fi
- Hawaiian Airlines installs Starlink on A321neos with FAA blessing
Featured image credited to Jason Rabinowitz
