British Airways has become the latest airline to sign up for Starlink WiFi, with the Heathrow-based UK flag carrier and oneworld founding member pledging to begin its rollout of the technology in 2026. The high-speed internet connection will be available free of charge to all of the airline’s guests, regardless of which cabin they are traveling in, and its deployment is the latest phase in a wider customer experience transformation initiative.
Elsewhere in the International Airlines Group ( IAG), the holding company to which British Airways belongs, Madrid-based Spanish flag carrier Iberia has also put its name down for Starlink WiFi, with high-speed connectivity coming to both the airline’s short-haul and long-haul flights. Let’s take a closer look at these deals, the timelines involved, and what they mean for passengers’ inflight connectivity at both British Airways and Iberia.
Starlink WiFi Is Coming To British Airways
As confirmed in a statement released earlier today by the UK flag carrier, 
British Airways will begin offering fast and free Starlink WiFi connectivity on its flights from next year. Promising reliable and high-speed connections, BA has pledged that its Starlink WiFi offering will “feel like home” to its passengers.
A key reason for Starlink’s speed and reliability, BA explains, is the fact that its satellites “orbit much closer to Earth than those used traditionally, providing even the most isolated areas with a more reliable and faster internet experience.” The rollout will apply to mainline British Airways flights as well as those operated by its BA Euroflyer arm, but seemingly not its BA Cityflyer regional brand. Sean Doyle, BA’s Chair and CEO, explained that:
“With our new WiFi powered by Starlink, our customers will be able to enjoy lightning-fast, low-lag internet from the moment they board to the moment they land, even over oceans and remote regions.”
Part Of A Wider Transformation
British Airways has had a WiFi offering of some degree for many years now, and made it free to first class passengers as early as 2019. The rollout of its existing network took several years, but was finally completed back in January of 2021, at which point the Inmarsat technology was described as ‘world leading.’
However, since then, the advent of Starlink WiFi has seen connectivity in the aviation industry move to another level, with BA’s offering left behind by this new network. IAG, its parent company, was reported to be in talks to bring this connectivity to its member airlines back in December of 2024, with Amazon’s Kuiper Systems among the alternatives. Now that BA has chosen Starlink, guests in every cabin will be able to use the service gate-to-gate.
This is not the only notable leap forward that BA has made in recent times as far as its passenger experience is concerned. Indeed, last year, it announced a £7 billion ($9.2 billion) transformation plan to take this part of its operations to the next level, including lounge renovations and new short-haul cabins.
Iberia Has Also Got In On The Act
BA’s fellow IAG member and Spanish flag carrier 
Iberia also announced that it will begin implementing Starlink WiFi on its aircraft in 2026. As will be the case at the UK flag carrier, Spain’s national airline will also make this high-speed connectivity free to all of its passengers, regardless of their cabin type.
As far as the speeds of this network are concerned, Iberia’s corresponding announcement today confirmed that its new Starlink connection “will offer download speeds of up to 450 Mbps and upload speeds of up to 70 Mbps.” This will enable guests to reliably use gaming and streaming platforms while flying.
Iberia also has a wider transformation plan that its rollout of Starlink will be part of. Known as Flight Plan 2030, this initiative is the result of a €6 billion investment ($6.9 billion) that will “drive digitalization, artificial intelligence, and the creation of Ciudad Iberia, a cutting-edge aeronautical innovation hub.”
