easyJet Reverses Course and Adopts Starlink Wi-Fi Across Airbus Fleet

easyJet will install SpaceX's Starlink Wi-Fi across its Airbus narrowbody fleet from the first half of 2027, with the rollout completed by early 2028. The decision reverses a position the British low-cost carrier held as recently as January 2026, when it said the numbers did not add up.

The airline announced the agreement on October 26, 2026. Installation will cover the A320, A320neo and A321neo families, which form the core of an active fleet that ch-aviation data puts at 78 A320-200s, 51 A321neos and 22 A320neos. In per-year terms, fitting more than 150 aircraft in roughly 18 months implies a retrofit pace of eight to ten installations per month.

What changed since January?

In January 2026, easyJet CEO Kenton Jarvis voiced concern about Starlink's cost while praising the product itself. "When the the time is right, we'll pick the right service," Jarvis said at the time, after earlier talks with SpaceX produced the blunt assessment that the "economics aren't quite working for us."

Ten months later, the economics apparently work. easyJet gave no financial terms, and it made no commitment that the service would be free for passengers. Customers will stream, game and browse on their own devices, the airline said, "just as they would when on the ground."

Jarvis framed the deal as both a customer-experience play and a competitive one. "Innovation is in easyJet's DNA and partnering with SpaceX to bring Starlink's high-speed internet connectivity onboard for the first time will not only further enhance the experience we provide millions of customers, but means we are offering more of the options both business and leisure travellers want when they choose who they fly with," he said in the announcement.

He added: "Giving customers the opportunity to get online in the air will mean even greater choice and convenience when you fly with easyJet. Ultimately, it's yet another way we're making travel easy."

Gwynne Shotwell, President and COO of SpaceX, positioned the partnership in operational terms. "We're proud to bring Starlink onboard easyJet and transform the way their customers stay connected throughout their travels," Shotwell said. "Fast, reliable connectivity from take-off to landing means people can work, stream, or stay in touch without interruption."

Which aircraft are excluded?

The 39 A319-100s still in easyJet's fleet will not receive Starlink, the airline confirmed. Those aircraft are being phased out gradually, so the oldest third of the current jet fleet will simply age out without connectivity retrofits.

The order book tells the larger story: easyJet awaits delivery of 120 A320neos and 151 A321neos, meaning more than half of the Starlink-equipped fleet of 2028 has not yet left Toulouse. New deliveries will presumably arrive with the hardware fitted rather than retrofitted, which materially changes the installation burden.

How does this affect the low-cost market?

The move puts daylight between easyJet and Ryanair, its closest budget rival. Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary has shown no interest in adopting Starlink and traded a public social-media spat with Elon Musk over the cost. easyJet now becomes the larger European low-cost operator with satellite broadband, a distinction it can market to business travellers in particular.

easyJet is not an early adopter among budget carriers. Wizz Air, Frontier Airlines and Volaris have already signed Starlink contracts, and easyJet joins a low-cost cohort that has concluded connectivity is worth the capital, whatever Ryanair believes.

What remains undisclosed is the price. easyJet has not said what SpaceX charged, whether passengers will pay, or how the deal affects unit costs across a fleet exceeding 300 aircraft. Until those numbers surface, the January assessment stands as a marker: the economics were not working, and then SpaceX made them work.