airBaltic has high hopes for high-speed internet

airBaltic is set to become the first airline in Europe to use the SpaceX Starlink satellite communications system onboard its Airbus A220-fleet, offering Wi-Fi even for free. But exactly when it is available to passengers depends on when regulators certify the system for the A220. airBaltic has high hopes for high-speed internet.

The airline of the Baltic states announced earlier this week that it has selected Starlink for its fleet of currently 39 A220s, which will eventually grow to fifty aircraft. CEO Martin Gauss told the author in a video interview that his airline has been looking long and hard for the right communications system. When it placed its first order in 2012 for what was back then the Bombardier

CSeries, the airframer offered a Panasonic system. But airBaltic couldn’t get the business case right and continued looking and doing tenders again and again. “None of the business cases we were doing were working out for us.”

Until now. Gauss is unwilling to disclose how much airBaltic is investing and what the commercial terms of the contract with SpaceX are, but he thinks the business case is positive now. Even when it is offered for free to passengers. “It has to do with the way the system works. It has different connectivity than other systems. When you get on board, all you can do is select the system or not. There is no possibility to log in or sign in, which means you either do it or you don’t. We have no influence on it and that is the reason we offer it for free because there would be any chance to monetize it.”