The AirFrance Airbus A220 Cabin interior. Photo: Air France

Air France selected SpaceX’s Starlink business as its satellite provider to upgrade Wi-Fi across its fleet. The deal, announced Sept. 26, is the second recent in-flight connectivity win for Starlink, after the United Airlines announcement earlier this month. 

Air France plans to gradually equip its aircraft with Starlink connectivity starting in summer 2025, including its regional fleet. According to the announcement, the service will replace the current IFC offerings  “over time.”  Wi-Fi will be free of charge for customers through the airline’s loyalty account. 

Air France currently works with Intelsat, Anuvu, and Panasonic as IFC providers for different planes in its fleet. Intelsat, formerly Gogo Commercial Aviation, signed an expansion deal with Air France for its 2Ku solution for 60 aircraft in 2021. 

Starlink is now displacing a number of incumbent satellite providers on major airlines with this Air France deal and the United Airlines deal as well. Both carriers are planning full-fleet upgrades and offering the service for free. 

“By leveraging the world’s largest constellation of satellites in low Earth orbit, Starlink offers high-speed, low-latency Internet access across the entire globe, including the most isolated areas. This makes for a stable, fast, and secure user experience,” Air France said in the announcement.