37 airlines commited to Starlink
May 5, 2026
By Chris Forrester
Some 12 months ago there were a few airlines making tentative steps into improving their In Flight Communications by installing Starlink kit onto their aircraft. Those first steps have now become a stampede. The latest data suggests that 37 airlines have either installed or committed to installing Starlink equipment.
Indeed, a recent announcement from broadband measurement specialists Ookla showed without much doubt that Starlink-enabled aircraft and their passengers enjoyed the best in-flight broadband speeds.
Ookla said that airline after airline were delivering 300 Mb/s to passengers, while traditional suppliers of satellite-based connections (from the likes of Intelsat, Viasat , Panasonic Aviation and Inmarsat) were – at best – managing just 50 Mb/s Median Download Speeds.
Web platform QUASA, in a May 2nd report, said: “High-speed satellite internet, led by SpaceX’s Starlink is transforming airplanes into airborne living rooms where passengers can stream whatever they want, whenever they want. For decades, in-flight entertainment meant whatever was pre-loaded onto the seatback screen — a limited library of movies, TV shows, and games updated slowly and chosen by the airline. That era is ending…”
