SAS has tapped SpaceX to bring its Ku-band Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite-supported inflight connectivity service to its fleet, in a move that will ultimately displace the carrier’s current providers including Panasonic Avionics and Viasat.
The Stockholm-headquartered airline says it plans to begin a “phased rollout” on the entire fleet beginning at the end of 2025 and will offer the service for free to EuroBonus loyalty members. It joins a string of other carriers in pursuing a free Wi-Fi model that is tied to loyalty membership.
According to SpaceX’s Starlink Aviation web site, as of 6 January 2025 supplemental type certificates have been secured for two aircraft types in SAS’s fleet: the Airbus A330 and the A321neo. STCs for other aircraft operated by SAS, the Airbus A320 family and A350, are expected to be secured in the second quarter of this year.
“By introducing this new technology, we’re connecting our passengers to the world like never before,” says SAS chief commercial officer Paul Verhagen.
“We’re putting an end to frustrating interruptions and ushering in a new era of connectivity. Whether flying over the Atlantic or the North Sea, our passengers can now count on a connection that is as stable and seamless as it is fast. This is about giving our customers the best and ensuring SAS remains synonymous with excellence.”
SAS highlights Starlink’s global LEO coverage as a key attribute, saying “Starlink delivers Internet all around the world and leverages advanced satellites to provide connectivity across oceans and remote locations, including challenging regions like the North Pole, over the Atlantic Ocean, and North Sea — areas previously affected by disruptions from conventional satellite services.”
SAS expects to begin offering the high-speed Wi-Fi to passengers on some aircraft at the end of the year.
For its part, SpaceX believes it can help SAS “level-up the in-flight experiences for passengers and crew from gate to gate”.
Company VP of Starlink Enterprise Sales Jason Fritch says: “We’re especially proud that Starlink can offer connectivity for passengers that’s as good if not better than at their homes while flying across the Atlantic, North Sea and North Pole, which historically had been challenging for in-flight internet.”
SpaceX has become a disruptor in the inflight connectivity space; it also counts airBaltic, Air France, Hawaiian Airlines, Qatar Airways, United Airlines, WestJet, ZIPAIR and hop-on jet operator JSX among its growing list of customers, in addition to business aviation clients. And its partners are banging out STCs at a dizzying rate. Starlink is even being brought turboprop aircraft, with Air New Zealand set to trial the service soon on an ATR 72-600.
Installs on larger aircraft feature not one but two Starlink phased array antennas in a bandwidth play on the part of SpaceX. The firm does not shirk at the notion of installing three antennas for very large jets.
Featured image credited to Jason Rabinowitz
