LONDON – The Latvian flag carrier airBaltic announced that it will install Starlink from SpaceX’s ultra-capable internet capability system on every A220 fleet.
Each guest flying with airBaltic will heavily benefit from the move by the Latvian carrier as this will enhance passenger comfort and connectivity, by allowing each to surf high-speed internet trouble-free. Great news for business travellers, students and Gen Zs alike.
Martin Gauss, Chief Executive Officer of airBaltic said: “This marks a historic moment for our airline and the industry as a whole. Soon airBaltic will become the first airline in Europe to launch high-speed, unlimited, and free-of-charge satellite internet on board.”
“We are excited to further improve our service to our passengers who will soon benefit from this internet connectivity onboard our flights within the airBaltic network in Europe and beyond.”
The airline made a milestone move as they are becoming more popular than ever in terms of regional flights in Europe. This will ultimately attract nearly if not all demographics as we are becoming more connected to our devices than ever.
Gauss furthered: “We are glad to have found the right connectivity provider – SpaceX’s Starlink – that fits our needs and meets our wishes. Having the most modern aircraft type on the market, it was the next logical step for airBaltic to implement the most modern available inflight internet solution on this fleet.”
What is SpaceX’s Starlink?
Starlink is a platform developed by an American company SpaceX, which provides high-speed, low-latency broadband internet in over 40 jurisdictions.
The platform ventured into the commercial airline discipline in 2021, making the first-ever high-speed internet system on any commercial fleet.
What makes Starlink so intriguing?
Not only is SpaceX the owner of Starlink, but the company also has satellites well located in low-Earth orbit with a gliding altitude of 550km, which is approximately 65 times closer to conventional satellites.
This makes Starlink an attractive choice, as the platform emits lower latency and higher transmission speeds for users.
This translates to the platform delivering up to p to 350 Mbps to aircraft, with latency as low as 20 ms. This feature could be seen at any location on the ground with high-speed internet.
Passengers can extend their internet surfing capability not only to texting, but streaming high-definition videos, online gaming, and activities that require a high data rate.
SpaceX Vice President of Starlink Sales Jonathan Hofeller said: “By becoming the first European airline to implement Starlink fleetwide, airBaltic is setting a new standard in ensuring its passengers have an internet experience that they have come to expect in our modern age.”
Deriving from what Hofeller said, this makes airBaltic an impressive European airline, making headlines in terms of technology and connectivity. The Latvian airline has come to the realisation that offering high-speed internet is a right, not a privilege.
He furthered: “With Starlink’s high-speed, low-latency internet, airBaltic passengers will have internet similar to or better than what they experience at home.”
“Customers will walk on the plane and the internet will simply work, making the stress of login pages and downloading large files before takeoff a thing of the past.”
The Latvian carrier is working closely with Space X to reach the required supplemental type certification (STC) approval and will begin to install the platform on its all A220 fleet this year.
