Air France is planning to offer free inflight Wi-Fi on board its entire fleet.
To offer this service, Air France will connect to the satellite service of Starlink.
This network uses many smaller, lower-orbiting satellites compared to traditional systems. This translates to faster speeds and wider coverage.
During the flight, passengers can follow world news live, play video games, and stream TV, films, and series.
The service will be accessible from smartphones, digital tablets, and laptops, and each passenger will be able to connect several personal devices simultaneously.
Air France will start to roll out the free high-speed connectivity from 2025.
How it works
Starlink has a huge constellation of satellites in low Earth orbit, allowing it to offer high-speed, low-latency Internet access across the globe, including isolated areas.
A small, thin terminal is installed on top of the aircraft. That allows it to receive strong, fast internet signals from the satellites.
The terminal switches connections from satellite to satellite as the aircraft flies, providing an uninterrupted internet experience for passengers.
This allows passengers to use the internet all over the globe, including over oceans, polar regions and other remote locations previously unreachable by traditional cell or Wi-Fi signals.
When will it be available?
Air France plans to gradually equip all its aircraft with Starlink connectivity.
The first aircraft will get the new service in summer 2025.
Over time the Starlink service will replace the current Wi-Fi systems.
Air France currently offers connectivity from Intelsat, Anuvu, and Panasonic.
More airlines choosing Starlink
Air France and other airlines are switching to Starlink as it offers stronger streaming and faster connectivity due to its low-Earth orbit satellites that can provide internet access in remote regions and over the ocean.
In addition to Air France, SpaceX has announced Starlink inflight Wi-Fi deals with:
