Israel’s El Al becomes latest airline to sign Starlink internet deal
The airline deals keep coming for Elon Musk’s Starlink. El Al Israel Airlines has become the latest carrier to choose the satellite internet service, signing an agreement with the SpaceX subsidiary to bring high-speed inflight Wi-Fi to its aircraft beginning in 2027.
The Israeli flag carrier said the Starlink service will provide free Wi-Fi to passengers and will be able to support hundreds of users simultaneously. The airline said the system will be available across its fleet, including on long-haul routes.
Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
El Al Chief Executive Levy Halevy said the agreement marks a major upgrade in the airline’s passenger experience, allowing travelers to browse, work, stream and communicate during flight.
The deal makes El Al the latest airline to select Starlink as SpaceX pushes deeper into the inflight-connectivity market. Starlink uses a constellation of thousands of low-Earth-orbit satellites, which can reduce latency compared with older satellite internet systems and provide faster connectivity over long routes.
Reuters reported that Starlink has added 11 airline customers in 2026 alone.
El Al operates a widebody fleet that includes Boeing 787 Dreamliners, with 737 MAX aircraft also on order for its European network. The carrier has also benefited from reduced competition on Israel routes since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023, though several foreign airlines have been moving toward restoring service to Tel Aviv.
The Starlink deal comes as inflight Wi-Fi increasingly shifts from a paid extra to a standard passenger expectation, particularly on long-haul aircraft. Airlines including United Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, Qatar Airways, Air France, airBaltic, JSX and ZIPAIR have also announced or introduced Starlink service.
American Airlines announced in May 2026 that it would install Starlink on more than 500 Airbus aircraft, including new A321XLR and A321neo deliveries. That rollout is expected to begin in 2027.The post Israel’s El Al becomes latest airline to sign Starlink internet deal appeared first on AeroTime.
The airline deals keep coming for Elon Musk’s Starlink. El Al Israel Airlines has become the latest carrier…
The post Israel’s El Al becomes latest airline to sign Starlink internet deal appeared first on AeroTime.
