Starlink to end the days of spotty Wi-Fi on planes, says Air New Zealand CEO

The days of spotty — or worse, no — Wi-Fi on airplanes are numbered, said Air New Zealand CEO Greg Foran.

Reliable and fast Wi-Fi will become “ubiquitous” on full-service carriers, he told “Squawk Box Asia” Friday.

But not just any Wi-Fi will do. As airlines race to entice passengers with fast — and ideally free — internet in the skies, SpaceX’s Starlink services are emerging as the latest “it” product to have on board.

Air New Zealand announced in December 2023 that Starlink services would be installed on two domestic aircraft in late 2024. The service, which provides high-speed internet via some 6,000 satellites, will allow passengers to stream videos and send instant messaging on multiple devices, the company stated.  

However, passengers will have to wait a bit longer for those services to launch at Air New Zealand. Foran told CNBC Friday that the planned Starlink trials on its aircraft have been pushed to 2025.

“Early next year, you will see on one of our turbo props that we’re going to have Starlink operating, and also on one of our jets,” he said. “We’ve tested it in some ways, but now to get it actually on the plane and operational is the next step. And from there, we can then assess the rollout.”

On Sept. 13, United Airlines said it had signed the industry’s largest agreement for Starlink services to date. The airline announced testing is set begin in 2025, and will eventually be rolled out to its entire fleet — more than 1,000 planes — over the next few years.

Starlink will allow passengers access to fast, reliable internet services across the world, including remote and once unreachable areas, such as mid-ocean and polar regions.

Both airlines have said that Starlink services would be provided to customers for “free,” or wrapped into airfare rather than having to be purchased mid-flight, eliminating another pain point for those who want fast connectivity in the skies.   

Foran said he had met with representatives of Starlink and its owner, SpaceX, two hours prior to speaking to CNBC.

“We’ve made terrific progress with this,” he said. “We’re well down this path … I think it’s going to be a fantastic offering.”

Starlink is quickly becoming the internet provider of choice in the skies, with connectivity deals inked with major commercial carriers like Hawaiian Airlines to smaller ones like JSX.

In late September, Air France announced plans to roll out Starlink internet services across its entire fleet, starting in the summer of 2025.   

In a press release, the French carrier described the move as “a major step in its move upmarket.”