AirBaltic has now conducted an initial test of SpaceX’s Starlink internet connectivity system on board its Airbus A220-300 aircraft.
Starlink began serving the commercial aircraft market last year with in-flight high-speed internet and has satellites positioned in low-Earth orbit at an altitude over 65 times closer than conventional geostationary satellites, achieving lower latency and higher transmission speeds for its end users.
According to airBaltic, the ground test was conducted at the airline’s home base in Riga. The in-flight connectivity system was tested with a full cabin comprising airBaltic and SpaceX’s Starlink employees.
Martin Gauss, President and CEO of airBaltic commented: “We are excited to lead the way in Europe by offering high-speed, unlimited, and complimentary inflight connectivity onboard our flights. This first test brings good insights and moves us closer to enhancing our service for passengers travelling within the airBaltic network in Europe and beyond.
“We are grateful to our partners at SpaceX’s Starlink for their unwavering support throughout this transformative journey. Their shared ambition and dedication perfectly complement airBaltic’s values. As we operate one of the most modern aircraft types on the market, it was the next logical step for airBaltic to introduce the cutting-edge Starlink inflight internet solution on board this fleet.”
Jason Fritch, VP of Starlink Enterprise Sales said: “As Starlink continues to activate high-speed, low-latency internet on aircraft around the world, we are excited to bring this next-generation experience to Europe with airBaltic’s A220 fleet.”
airBaltic and SpaceX are working together to achieve the required supplemental type certification approval. They expect to begin installing the product on the airBaltic Airbus A220-300 fleet by the end of this year.
