The airline said from today, passengers flying on ZK OXE, one of its A320 domestic aircraft, would be able to access high-speed, low-latency internet, with an ATR-72 turboprop joining the trial later this month – a world first.
It said Wi-Fi would be provided free of charge during the trial, with passengers able to browse, access social media, stream or play games.
Starlink – owned by billionaire Elon Musk’s company SpaceX – uses low Earth orbit satellites to provide internet coverage across the world.
“Being the first airline in the world to trial Wi-Fi on a turboprop aircraft is a proud moment for us, Air New Zealand chief digital officer Nikhil Ravishankar said.
“Our goal is to explore the potential of this technology and understand how it can enhance customer journeys.”
Air New Zealand said it was in the testing phase of Starlink’s onboard connectivity and sought to understand how it performed in real-world conditions, while gathering customer feedback.
“[Customer] feedback will help guide our decision-making as we consider connectivity options for our domestic fleet,” Ravishankar said.
