Air New Zealand switches on Starlink in domestic trial
In-flight wi-fi is being offered free of charge during the trial, with the airline keen to assess how the service performs in real-world conditions and customer feedback before it makes any decision on a domestic fleet rollout.
'We look forward to hearing from our customers as they test out onboard wi-fi. Their feedback will help guide our decision-making as we consider connectivity options for our domestic fleet,' says Air New Zealand chief digital officer Nikhil Ravishankar.
The airline will be the first to test Starlink on a turboprop aircraft when the ATR joins the trial.
Air New Zealand currently has in-flight connectivity services provided by Viasat on its international fleet, which the airline has previously said could come under review if the domestic Starlink trial proves successful.
SpaceX's Starlink has taken the in-flight connectivity world by storm since Hawaiian Airlines became the first major commercial airline to offer the service in early 2024.
Unlike earlier in-flight connectivity solutions using geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) satellite constellations, Starlink's constellation is closer to Earth, in low Earth orbit (LEO), delivering high-speed and low-latency service, supporting in-flight live video streaming, live TV, social media, gaming and shopping.
Airlines already offering or committing to Starlink service include Air Baltic, Air France, Hawaiian Airlines, KLM, Qatar Airways, Scandinavian Airlines, United Airlines and Zip Air.
United Airlines recently started offering Starlink service onboard its regional jets as part of a fleet rollout but switched off the service this month to address an interference issue with pilot communications.
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