In recent times, we’ve seen many airlines announce plans to introduce Starlink Wi-Fi. However, this might be the most exciting and overdue Starlink announcement yet, given the state of this airline group’s Wi-Fi situation…
Starlink coming to Korean Air, Asiana, Jin Air, Air Busan, and Air Seoul
Korean Air, alongside Asiana Airlines, Jin Air, Air Busan, and Air Seoul, have announced plans to introduce free Starlink Wi-Fi to their entire fleets.
As it currently stands, the earliest service introduction is expected in the third quarter of 2026. So we’ll have to wait at least several months for the first planes to feature the service. However, the good news is that it will be a pretty fast project from there, with Starlink expected to be available on all Korean Air and Asiana planes by the end of 2027.
Korean Air and Asiana will prioritize Starlink installation on their long haul Boeing 777-300ER and Airbus A350-900 aircraft, so expect those planes to (hopefully) get the service in 2026.
Starlink is known for its high-speed, low-latency broadband internet, and the service will be offered gate to gate. Starlink Wi-Fi will allow for live streaming, productivity similar to on the ground (with high upload and download speeds), gaming, e-commerce, and more.
Starlink is becoming increasingly popular with airlines. So far we’ve seen carriers like airBaltic, Air France, Air New Zealand, British Airways, Emirates, Hawaiian Airlines, Iberia, Qatar Airways, SAS, United, Virgin Atlantic, and WestJet, all announce plans to install the service.
Here’s how a Korean Air spokesperson describes this decision:
“Connectivity is an essential part of the travel experience, and with Starlink, our customers will stay connected with fast and seamless internet. As Korea’s flag carrier and a leading global airline, we are committed to upgrading our services and infrastructure to deliver an elevated passenger journey as we strive to become the world’s most loved airline.”
This is massively good news for Korean Air passengers
South Korea is one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world, yet until 2023, Korean Air didn’t have inflight Wi-Fi on any aircraft. Over the past couple of years, we’ve seen the service progressively introduced on some newly delivered planes, but it’s still only available on a small percentage of the fleet.
So to see Korean Air go from no Wi-Fi at all, to Starlink Wi-Fi, is a hugely positive development. When Emirates announced it would introduce Starlink Wi-Fi, I said that was the most positive Starlink announcement to date from a large international airline, since the carrier is going from the painfully slow OnAir system, to Starlink. However, Korean Air has Emirates beat, since the airline has no Wi-Fi at all on a vast majority of its planes.
For those curious about why Korean Air didn’t even start to introduce Wi-Fi until a few years ago, there’s an interesting answer. Back in 2016, Korean Air’s Senior Innovation Technology Officer was asked how content and entertainment expectations change for people when they travel, and here’s how that was answered:
“I believe that passengers have similar expectations for in-flight and on-ground content and connectivity options. For example, in Korea, the wireless infrastructure is so advanced (significantly faster than the US average) that in-flight Internet services based on existing commercial satellite technology would be disappointing to them. That is a primary reason why Korean Air has not implemented in-flight Internet.”
The explanation was essentially that Korean Air doesn’t offer inflight Wi-Fi because the speeds would be too disappointing to Koreans, who are otherwise used to cutting edge technology. Fortunately with Starlink, that’s no longer the case.
Bottom line
Korean Air, along with Asiana Airlines, Jin Air, Air Busan, and Air Seoul, plan to introduce free Starlink Wi-Fi throughout their fleets. Installation could start as soon as the third quarter of 2026, and at least for Korean Air and Asiana, is expected to be completed by the end of 2027.
It’s amazing to think that just over three years ago, Korean Air didn’t have Wi-Fi on any planes, and even now, most aircraft still don’t have Wi-Fi. So to go from no Wi-Fi to Starlink Wi-Fi will be great news for passengers.
What do you make of Korean Air’s Starlink announcement?
