Photo: British Airways

International Airlines Group (IAG) signed a deal to implement SpaceX’s Starlink in-flight connectivity (IFC) on more than 500 aircraft across five airlines — Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia, LEVEL and Vueling. 

IAG announced the deal on Thursday, saying its fleet is on track to have more aircraft with high-speed Wi-Fi than any other European airline group. The deal is a major win for Starlink’s IFC business, which includes other European customers Air France, Virgin Atlantic, and SAS. 

“The introduction of high-speed Wi-Fi from Starlink will transform onboard connectivity, improving both the connection speed and reliability for customers,” commented IAG CEO Luis Gallego. “Customers from all IAG airlines will be able to benefit from the service from next year. This demonstrates how IAG is working together as a group, to drive innovation and secure major deals to benefit all our stakeholders.”

British Airways plans to offer the service free for all customers, regardless of cabin. The airline said this is part of a 7 billion pound ($9 billion) transformation program to improve customer experience through investments in new planes, lounges, and technology to improve on-time departures. 

“Launching Starlink on both our long-haul and short-haul aircraft is game-changing for us and our customers, elevating their experience on board our flights by offering them seamless connectivity from gate-to-gate. Especially on short-haul, this will really differentiate us from our competitors,” British Airways CEO Sean Doyle said in a release. 

Iberia also confirmed it will offer the service for free.