International Airlines Group (IAG), the parent company of British Airways and Iberia, has been in talks with Starlink as well as projects by Amazon in order to supply Wi-Fi to its fleet.
IAG’s head of innovation, Annalisa Gigante, revealed in an interview with Bloomberg that the group still hasn’t made a final decision and has been talking to multiple providers. She claimed that the company had some “really exciting things coming up, but that’s going to be for next year.”
Earlier this year, Qatar Airways launched Starlink connectivity aboard its flights. It kicked off with a notable first flight, with content creators even streaming online video games on board.
However, Gigante said that there are issues with the company, namely the complicated certification process. Unlike U.S. carriers, where Starlink is already certified by the Federal Aviation Administration, European carriers must undergo a certification process to install the WiFi systems. Unfortunately for IAG, it would have to do this twice, once for British Airways and again for Iberia.
On the other hand, Starlink’s competitor, Amazon’s Kuiper plans to launch satellites and begin service by the end of 2025. Its aim is to use a network of more than 3,000 satellites in the atmosphere to bring fast and affordable broadband, ensuring accessibility.
