The first British Airways aircraft fitted with Elon Musk’s Starlink Wi-Fi has entered service after announcing the plan to rollout the technology across its fleet last year.
On March 18, 2026, British Airways confirmed across its social media channels that the fleet-wide installation had begun in a process that will enable all passengers, regardless of class travel, to access Starlink for free.
According to PYOK, the first aircraft to undergo installation was a British Airways Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, registered G-ZBJJ, which has since been operating flights to North America and India.
British Airways shared a behind the scenes video to show the start of the fleet upgrade and the work that goes into bringing Starlink connectivity to life.
“[This] is a real milestone for British airways engineering. We’re starting installation of Starlink on our first aircraft. It’s a major engineering modification involving structural work, wiring, software and extensive testing,” said a representative for British Airways.
Once rolled out, Starlink will be available on all BA mainline and Euroflyer flights from the moment passengers board to the moment they land.
In November 2026, CEO of British Airways Sean Doyle, said: “Launching Starlink on both our long-haul and short-haul aircraft is game-changing for us and our customers, elevating their experience on board our flights by offering them seamless connectivity from gate-to-gate. Especially on short-haul, this will really differentiate us from our competitors.”
The contract with Starlink was signed by British Airways owner International Airlines Group (IAG) with the agreement also including aircraft operated by Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia, LEVEL, and Vueling.
In total over 500 aircraft across the airline group will be equipped with Starlink Wi-Fi with the process expected to be completed in the next few years.