Aviation group IAG, owner of British Airways and the Spanish Iberia, among others, is in talks with Elon Musk’s satellite internet provider Starlink to be able to offer wifi in its aircraft.
The company is also still in talks with Starlink’s rival Project Kuiper of Amazon, Annalisa Gigante, head of innovation of the aviation group, said in an interview with financial press agency Bloomberg.
This means another major player in the aviation industry is considering closing a deal with Starlink. American United Airlines, Qatar Airways, and Air New Zealand previously announced an agreement with Starlink for internet on board.
Air France has also announced that it will offer Starlink internet in its aircraft in next year. But the first European company to do so will probably be the smaller AirBaltic.
Starlink has a network of thousands of satellites that orbit the Earth in a relatively low orbit. This makes it possible to provide internet to remote areas, for example.
In the shipping world, Starlink is also increasingly seen as a serious competitor to traditional satellite internet companies such as Viasat and Gogo. The internet on board IAG aircraft has so far been provided by Inmarsat, which was acquired by Viasat last year.
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