Air NZ, Starlink to trial free high-speed internet on domestic flights

Kiwi travellers will soon have free, high speed internet on some domestic flights. Air New Zealand is working with satellite internet service provider Starlink to trial internet on two domestic aircraft from late 2024 – a jet and an ATR. The latter will be the first turboprop aircraft in the world to have internet access. The trial will run for four to six months. All going well, Starlink internet will then be rolled out on the airline’s remaining aircraft across its domestic fleet, from 2025. The high-speed, low latency in-flight internet will be fast enough for passengers to stream video content. Air NZ chief digital officer Nikhil Ravishankar told Stuff Travel it’s a “pretty big deal”. “When we think particularly about domestic and regional connectivity, what we’re offering is an alternative to driving long distances. And now the ability to do that and do work while you're in the air as if you were in the office, or engage in content as you would on the ground, I think that’s a pretty exciting step and change in what we have been able to offer in our domestic service.” Business travellers can keep working through the flight, and leisure travellers will be able to listen to podcasts and watch Netflix shows in real-time, rather than download them to their phone prior to taking off. However, making calls is prohibited, as per current Civil Aviation Authority regulations. “Real-time voice or video calls are prohibited in the air, and we expect that to continue,” said Ravishankar. “And I’m pretty sure from time to time we’ll have to remind a few people not to access that, and again, per regulations, if we have to block off some content, that’s something we intend to do. That regulatory obligation still stands, either on the airline or the customers travelling.”<br/>