Lufthansa Boeing 787 9 Centennial livery
Lufthansa Group has announced that, together with Starlink, it will begin offering free, fast WiFi to its passengers from the second half of 2026, with the group planning to fit all of its aircraft with the in-flight connectivity (IFC) solution before the end of the decade.
On January 13, 2026, Lufthansa Group said that, in partnership with Starlink, it will equip all of its approximately 850 aircraft with high-speed internet.
The group detailed that the IFC solution will become available starting in H2 2026 on its currently operated aircraft and upcoming fleet additions.
According to Lufthansa Group, Starlink’s connectivity solution will enable “streaming, cloud-based working, and other high-speed applications during flights,” and will be free of charge for all status customers and Travel ID users across all cabin classes.
“This makes Lufthansa Group the largest airline group in Europe to upgrade its fleet with state-of-the-art broadband internet – no other airline will equip more aircraft with Starlink technology.”
Dieter Vranckx, the Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) of Lufthansa Group, added that the decision was made to introduce Starlink on Lufthansa’s 100th anniversary year, “setting an essential milestone for the premium travel experience of our customers.”
Vranckx admitted that having in-flight connectivity has become more important today, and that the partnership with Starlink is an investment in the “best product on the market” and an improvement of the passenger experience.
Lufthansa Group concluded that all of its aircraft will be fitted with Starlink by 2029, with further details being unveiled “in the course of the year.”
The Germany-based airline group is not the only European airline and/or group to use the IFC solution to provide connectivity to its passengers.
airBaltic, in which Lufthansa Group has a 10% stake, detailed that “more than 20” of its Airbus A220-300s are equipped with Starlink when it took delivery of its 52nd A220-300, while Air France said that its entire fleet should be equipped by the end of 2026.
Another major airline group, the International Airlines Group (IAG), announced that it will begin installations of Starlink’s IFC solution on November 6, 2025.
At the time, IAG outlined plans to install high-speed internet on all Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia, LEVEL, and Vueling aircraft, amounting to more than 500 aircraft across the carriers’ fleets.
Its plan was for the first aircraft to have Starlink ready for passenger use “in early 2026.”
Much like Lufthansa Group, IAG said that it was on track to “include more aircraft with high-speed wi-fi than any other European airline group.”
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