easyJet, the British low-cost airline, has finalised an agreement with SpaceX to fit Starlink satellite internet across its Airbus fleet, with installation work due to start in 2027. The deal was reported on 26 October 2026 by Advanced Television, which says the agreement makes easyJet the 50th airline to select Starlink.
Key facts
- Advanced Television reports easyJet plans to install Starlink across its Airbus A320, A320neo and A321neo fleets.
- Air Data News says installations are scheduled to begin in the first half of 2027 — Advanced Television puts the start more broadly at 2027 — and both outlets say the fit should be finished in early 2028.
- Air Data News says easyJet currently operates more than 350 aircraft of those three types and carries around 100 million passengers a year.
- This is the first time onboard Wi-Fi has been offered at the airline, according to Air Data News.
- Neither outlet has pricing: easyJet has not revealed how the service will be charged for, or whether any access will be free.
Why it matters
The deal reverses a public position easyJet took earlier this year. Advanced Television reports that in January, chief executive Kenton Jarvis confirmed the airline was in talks with SpaceX but said the “financial terms of the deal are not favourable”, adding that easyJet was also talking to other providers about adding Wi-Fi when the time was right.
For readers tracking where Starlink’s low-Earth-orbit network is being switched on, the airline count matters as much as the geography. Advanced Television’s figure of 50 airlines puts easyJet in a queue that already includes carriers on other continents; Singapore Airlines is putting the system on 53 jets from early 2027.
What passengers are being promised
Air Data News says passengers will be able to stream video, play online games and browse the internet on their own devices. Advanced Television frames the result as internet access becoming a standard feature on many easyJet flights once the fit is complete.
Jarvis, quoted by Advanced Television, said staying connected matters more than ever to many customers, citing both holidaymakers wanting in-flight entertainment and business customers keeping up with what is happening on the ground. He said partnering with SpaceX would enhance the experience easyJet provides and give travellers more of the options they want when choosing an airline.
Gwynne Shotwell, president and chief operating officer of SpaceX, said in the same report that the company was proud to bring Starlink onboard easyJet, and that fast, reliable connectivity from take-off to landing lets people work, stream or stay in touch without interruption.
Air Data News says the charging model has not been disclosed and that details are expected closer to launch. In the United States, United has said free Starlink access wins passengers from rival carriers.
When and where the satellite internet becomes available
Neither report names the first routes, bases or countries to be converted. On the schedule both outlets describe, availability builds aircraft by aircraft from the first half of 2027 until the fleet is complete in early 2028, so a passenger’s access will depend on which airframe operates that particular flight rather than on the route itself. Coverage for easyJet’s short-haul network therefore arrives piecemeal through 2027, with fleet-wide availability only in 2028.
A change of owner during the rollout
Air Data News reports that the investment lands in the middle of a significant change in easyJet’s ownership. US investment firm Apollo Global Management agreed in August to acquire the airline for £5.7 billion (US$7.7 billion), a transaction the outlet says is expected to close by the end of the first quarter of 2027, subject to shareholder and regulatory approvals — around the same period the first Starlink installations are due to begin.
Where easyJet sits among European carriers
Air Data News places the decision inside a rapidly expanding group of European airlines adopting Starlink. It reports that Lufthansa Group plans to equip around 850 aircraft with the system, that International Airlines Group has also selected Starlink for airlines including British Airways, that SAS has introduced the technology across its Airbus A320neo fleet, and that fellow low-cost carrier Wizz Air has announced plans to use the service.
The outlet says easyJet is targeting both leisure passengers and business travellers on a short-haul network, a segment where the economics of connectivity are still contested. Fleet-wide commitments of this kind are not confined to Europe: American Airlines is keeping Starlink across its roughly 1,000-jet fleet.
A note on sourcing: this article is based on the two trade reports cited above, neither of which links a primary announcement. Any official wording would appear in easyJet’s newsroom or on SpaceX’s Starlink aviation pages; no corresponding statement from either company was cited by the reporting outlets at the time of writing.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do other airlines charge for Starlink Wi-Fi?
Advanced Television reports that approaches vary widely across the industry: some carriers provide the service free to every passenger, while others charge according to flight duration, connection speed or usage levels. Air Data News says easyJet’s own pricing details are expected closer to the service’s introduction.
Which easyJet routes will get Starlink first?
Neither Advanced Television nor Air Data News breaks the rollout down by route, base or country. Because a Starlink terminal is fitted to the airframe rather than assigned to a route, availability through 2027 will depend on which of the more than 350 aircraft have already been converted — meaning the same city pair may be connected on one rotation and not the next until the fit is complete in early 2028.
Is Ryanair adding Starlink too?
No. Air Data News reports that Ryanair has so far resisted installing Starlink, with chief executive Michael O’Leary questioning whether passengers on the airline’s mostly short flights would pay for connectivity. The same report says O’Leary has also cited the extra fuel consumption that comes with an external antenna.
Will the Apollo takeover delay or change the rollout?
The sources do not say the Starlink agreement is conditional on the takeover. Air Data News reports that Apollo Global Management has said it intends to accelerate easyJet’s existing commercial strategy, including fleet modernisation, expansion of ancillary and loyalty products and further growth of easyJet Holidays. The same report says the Haji-Ioannou family, including founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou, has backed the transaction, holds about 15% of the airline and intends to remain invested under the new ownership structure.
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