IAG aircraft to take off with Wi-Fi Starlink connectivity

International Airlines Group (IAG) has announced a partnership to implement Starlink-enabled high-speed Wi-Fi connectivity for more than 500 aircraft across its fleet.

IAG is one of the world’s largest airline groups, carrying more than 122 million customers to 260 destinations across 91 countries each year. Its leading airlines in the UK, Ireland and Spain include Aer Lingus, British Airways (BA), Iberia, Level and Vueling. It also includes two complementary businesses, IAG Cargo and IAG Loyalty.

The airline believes that transformation and innovation enable it to maximise value and efficiencies across the group. It has to date been focusing on innovation as part of its group-wide transformation programme, with initiatives including AI to optimise engine maintenance and the launch of the IAGi venturing fund to invest in high-potential startups and scaleups.

As of 31 December 2024, the IAG fleet comprised 601 aircraft, and all of its aircraft not due for retirement will receive the Wi-Fi. Implementation plans will vary by airline and be communicated as the roll-out plan is finalised in the near future. The first aircraft due to go live with the Starlink service connectivity are due to take off in early 2026, covering short-haul journeys in Europe, as well as all of the group’s long-haul transatlantic and global routes.

Starlink offers download speeds of up to 150-450Mbps and upload speeds of 20-70Mbps. IAG noted that a download speed of 150Mbps will allow passengers to download an HD movie of approximately 5GB in around five minutes.

This, according to IAG, will allow passengers to stay connected in the skies with download and upload speeds as good as or better than home connectivity, enabling fast downloads, streaming and online gaming for customers. According to UK comms regulator Ofcom, UK homes’ average maximum download speed was 223Mbps in 2024.

“Staying connected in the skies is increasingly important to our airlines’ customers,” said IAG chief executive Luis Gallego. “The introduction of high-speed Wi-Fi from Starlink will transform onboard connectivity, improving both the connection speed and reliability for customers. Customers from all IAG airlines will be able to benefit from the service from next year. This demonstrates how IAG is working together as a group, to drive innovation and secure major deals to benefit all our stakeholders.”

The roll-out of Starlink satellite connectivity at BA follows a similar move with BA’s arch-rival, Virgin Atlantic, earlier in 2025. Virgin will begin installing streaming-quality Wi-Fi on its Boeing 787s, Airbus A350s and A330neo aircraft from the third quarter of 2026, with an expected completion date by the end of 2027.

In addition, in May 2024, a trio of Boeing 777-300 aircraft belonging to Qatar Airways were the first of its planes to receive Starlink low-latency satellite Wi-Fi connectivity, with the entire fleet set to be upgraded with technology from the company by 2026.

At the time, Qatar Airways was the largest airline to partner with Starlink, and said the move solidified its commitment to elevating the passenger experience onboard, with plans to progressively extend SpaceX-powered technology.