Lufthansa Group, the German airline company, has teamed up with SpaceX to equip its entire fleet of 850 aircraft with high-speed broadband internet from Starlink. The connectivity will see a gradual rollout in the second half of 2026, with a full rollout by 2029.
This deal will not only affect planes with the Lufthansa branding on the plane, Starlink will also be coming to the other airlines owned by Lufthansa Group including Eurowings, Air Dolomiti, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Discover Airlines, and more. With this move, Lufthansa Group wants to enhance the premium customer experience by providing faster in-flight internet.
"In our anniversary year, in which we are celebrating Lufthansa"s 100th birthday, we have decided to introduce a new high-speed internet solution from Starlink for all our airlines. The Lufthansa Group is taking the next step and setting an essential milestone for the premium travel experience of our customers. Connectivity on board plays an important role today, and with Starlink, we are not only investing in the best product on the market, but also in the satisfaction of our passengers," said Dieter Vranckx, Chief Commercial Officer of the Lufthansa Group.
For anyone not familiar with Starlink, it is a satellite network launched by Elon Musk’s SpaceX that beams broadband-quality internet speeds to receivers on Earth. By building these receivers into airplanes, passengers can get fast internet while aboard, eliminating a major pain point for air travel.
The faster speeds will allow customers to stream video, perform cloud-based work, and use other apps that require a good internet connection. Unusually, the service will be free of charge for all status customers and Travel ID users, regardless of travel class. Lufthansa Group is making these upgrades as part of its “extensive investments in new aircraft and premium product and service innovations.”
According to the company, it will be the largest airline group in Europe to upgrade its fleet with Starlink, which could help to attract customers in an extremely competitive market full of budget airlines trying to nab customers from the likes of Lufthansa.