Virgin Atlantic Airways has announced a partnership with Elon Musk’s Starlink to provide their passengers with ultra-fast Wi-Fi.
This makes Virgin Atlantic the first UK air carrier to strike a deal with Musk’s company.
CEO Shai Weiss announced the partnership on Tuesday evening, though declined to comment on how much the deal was worth, simply adding that it was “a lot”.
With this move, the company aims to become the UK’s first airline to have free, streaming-quality, unlimited Wi-Fi across their whole fleet. Roll-out is expected to begin in the third quarter of 2026 and be completed by the end of 2027.
The Wi-Fi will be available in all cabins and will be free to access for Flying Club members. Virgin Atlantic Flying Club is the company’s frequent flyer reward scheme and is free to join for all travellers.
Starlink is a network of satellites owned by private spaceflight company, Space X. By using the low-orbit, low latency constellation, the airline is promising a fast and reliable connection in even the most remote areas.
Virgin Atlantic CEO Weiss pledged a $17 billion (€14.5bn) cash injection into the airline to “complete our evolution from a challenger to a leader and a premium, long-haul flag carrier”.
In a LinkedIn post, he continued: “We are investing billions to fly the youngest fleet across the Atlantic; the first UK airline to have free, streaming quality, fleet-wide Wi-Fi; more premium seats and a full retrofit of the 787 fleet; alongside a new app. The best is yet to come.”
The investment will also see the company adding more premium seating to their Boeing 787-9 fleet from 2028, the creation of new clubhouses in New York’s JFK and London’s Heathrow airports, and a new loyalty scheme for customers who don’t travel regularly but come back year after year.
Virgin Atlantic Airways has also partnered with OpenAI to offer “real-time voice and emotionally intelligent AI concierge services”.
Firms including Qatar Airways, Hawaiian Airlines, United Airlines, and AirBaltic have all signed deals with Musk’s Starlink to provide in-flight Wi-Fi.
