Riga. Latvian airline airBaltic has announced that it has conducted an initial test of SpaceX’s Starlink internet connection system on its Airbus A220-300 aircraft. The ground test was carried out at the airline’s base in Riga, and the in-flight communication system was tested in a full cabin consisting of airBaltic and SpaceX Starlink personnel.
“We are delighted to be leading Europe in offering high-speed, unlimited and free in-flight connectivity on our aircraft. This first test provided good insights and brought us closer to improving the service for airBaltic passengers traveling on the airBaltic network in Europe and beyond,” said Martin Gauss, president and CEO of airBaltic.
“We are grateful to our partners at SpaceX, Starlink, for their unwavering support throughout this transformative journey. Their shared ambitions and dedication perfectly complement the values of airBaltic. “Since we operate one of the most modern aircraft types on the market, the next logical step for us was to implement the most advanced Starlink in-flight internet solution in this fleet,” highlighted M. Gauss.
“Starlink continues to enable high-speed, low-latency in-flight internet around the world, and we are excited to bring this next-generation experience to Europe with airBaltic’s A220 fleet,” said Jason Fritch, Vice President of Starlink Enterprise Sales.
airBaltic is working with SpaceX to obtain the necessary STC (supplemental type certification) approval, and the product is expected to be installed on airBaltic’s Airbus A220-300 aircraft by the end of this year.
airBaltic, which plans to equip its entire fleet of A220-300 aircraft with SpaceX’s Starlink in-flight communication system, aims to ensure that every passenger can seamlessly use high-speed Internet throughout the journey without any hassles or login pages. Internet access will be available to all passengers from boarding to disembarking.
Developed by SpaceX, Starlink provides high-speed, low-latency broadband Internet to more than 90 countries and territories around the world, and last year began providing in-flight high-speed Internet for commercial aircraft. By using satellites in low Earth orbit, more than 65 times closer than conventional geostationary satellites, Starlink achieves significantly lower latency and higher transmission speeds for end users. Starlink can transmit up to 500 Mbps of data to the aircraft, and with a latency of just 20ms, passengers can engage in activities previously not possible in-flight, including online gaming, virtual private networks and other high-data-rate activities.
About airBaltic:
airBaltic (Air Baltic Corporation AS) was founded in 1995. a joint stock company was established. Its main shareholder is the Latvian state, which owns 97.97 percent. shares, and for other shareholders – 2.03 percent. airBaltic offers flights to more than 70 cities in Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and the Caucasus region. Over the past 28 years, airBaltic has become a strong and internationally recognized airline with more than 2,500 employees. AirBaltic’s fleet consists of 47 Airbus A220-300 aircraft, making this fleet one of the youngest in Europe. The airline has received international awards for excellence, innovative services and significant achievements. For two years in a row, Skytrax has awarded airBaltic as the best airline in its region. In addition, in 2022 The International Air Transport Association (IATA) awarded the diversity and inclusion team of airBaltic. in 2023 the airline received the APEX Passenger Choice award for the best cabin service in Europe.
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