The US carrier is equipping 1,000 aircraft with the SpaceX system.
United Airlines has moved up the timeline for installing SpaceX’s Starlink low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite-based connectivity service across its entire fleet, and now expects most of the work to be completed by the end of this year.
The US carrier is in the process of equipping all roughly 1,000 of its narrowbody and widebody aircraft with the Starlink system – a process it had expected to take a few years when it began the work in early 2025. It now says it has accelerated the rollout and anticipates that installations on “close to” 1,000 aircraft will be completed “before the end of this year”.
United has installed the system on more than 400 aircraft so far, including the first of 60 widebodies to be equipped. That aircraft – a Boeing 777-200 – operated the carrier’s first transatlantic Starlink wi-fi-enabled flight on 22 June, between Newark and London.
While most of its 1,000 aircraft will carry the system by the end of this year, work on the remaining widebodies is not scheduled for completion until next summer.
“Our ability to deploy Starlink wi-fi across our fleet at this speed and scale is a testament to the expertise of our team and the strength of our collaboration with Starlink,” says United chief air operations officer Ankit Gupta. “Together, we’ve built a highly efficient installation programme that is transforming the onboard experience for our customers.”
United announced in September 2024 that it would provide free in-flight wi-fi to passengers through its Starlink agreement. Starlink uses a network of LEO satellites to provide low-latency global coverage, including across polar regions. The carrier says the service offers “the same fast, reliable internet access and connectivity we’re all used to at home”.
SpaceX through its Starlink service and Amazon with its own Leo-branded in-flight connectivity offering have been taking market share from incumbent satellite providers that have traditionally focused on satellites in geostationary orbit. Those providers are increasingly offering multi-orbit services to airlines in response.
Starlink has agreements in place with IAG and Lufthansa Group, alongside United, while Amazon Leo counts Delta Air Lines and Jetblue Airways among customers.
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