The Lufthansa Group, which includes Brussels Airlines, will offer free, high-speed Wi-Fi on its approximately 850 aircraft starting in the second half of 2026. It will do so using the Starlink satellite network from SpaceX, the American space company owned by billionaire Elon Musk.
The collaboration with Starlink applies to the entire Lufthansa Group, which also includes Swiss and Austrian Airlines. “We expect the technology to be available on the first flights from the second half of 2026,” the group said. By the end of 2029, all aircraft should have Wi-Fi.
Streaming is possible during a flight
Brussels Airlines does not currently offer Wi-Fi on its flights. The airline cannot yet say exactly when the first aircraft will be retrofitted. Wi-Fi equipment will first be installed on smaller aircraft, and only later on long-haul aircraft. It will be available in all travel classes.
The internet service will be free for frequent flyers and for those who create a profile (Travel ID) with one of the group’s airlines. Thanks to the higher bandwidth and speed, streaming, working with cloud applications, and other functions requiring high data speeds will be possible during the flight.
Catching up
The deal with Starlink enables the Lufthansa Group to catch up: around 7 out of 10 airlines now have Wi-Fi installed on board. This applies to legacy carriers, the large national or international airlines. Many budget and holiday airlines do not (yet) have it, or only on a limited number of aircraft.
The upgrade will make the Lufthansa Group the largest airline group in Europe to equip its fleet with state-of-the-art broadband internet connections. No other airline will equip more aircraft with Starlink technology.
Starlink, a fast-growing partner in aviation Wi-Fi
There are currently around 8,600 active SpaceX Starlink satellites orbiting the Earth. In October, the company launched its 10,000th satellite. It is estimated that around 1,400 have already burned up in the atmosphere due to their limited lifespan. Starlink has permission to send 12,000 satellites into space.
According to recent reports, Starlink has more than 20 airlines under contract to offer or install Wi-Fi via its LEO satellites, including major carriers such as United, Qatar Airways, Air France-KLM, British Airways-IAG, Korean Air, and more.
