Singapore Airlines to launch Starlink inflight internet from Q1 2027

Late last year, Singapore Airlines announced that it would adopt Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite connectivity to further enhance its inflight Wi-Fi experience. 

This was a hugely exciting development, because not only is LEO connectivity significantly faster than the current Geostationary Orbit (GEO) solutions, it also provides gate-to-gate connectivity, allowing you to work or stream uninterrupted from the time you board the aircraft to the time you disembark. 

While a vendor wasn’t announced at the time, all signs pointed to Starlink, which has already made huge inroads into commercial aviation with Alaska Airlines, Emirates, Qatar Airways, and United, among others. 

Well, it’s now official: Singapore Airlines will adopt Starlink internet from early 2027, and it’s going to be a gamechanger.

Singapore Airlines launching Starlink internet in 2027

Singapore Airlines has announced that it will progressively introduce Starlink inflight internet from Q1 2027 onboard the following aircraft types:

This promises to deliver a quantum leap in connectivity speeds compared to the current Geostationary Orbit (GEO) satellite solutions provided by Panasonic and SITAOnAir, which suffer from high lag and patchy service. 

Starlink internet will be free for customers in Suites, First Class, Business Class and PPS Club members, as well as KrisFlyer members travelling in Premium Economy and Economy Class. This mirrors the current policy for the slower inflight Wi-Fi solutions. 

There’s no real surprise to see the Airbus A350-900LHs and A350-900ULRs getting the upgrade, since they’ve already been earmarked to be retrofitted with the airline’s next-generation cabin products. 

It is a bit more surprising to see the Airbus A350-900MHs excluded and the Airbus A380-800s included though, given that the A380s will realistically start getting phased out in the next decade or so.

As for the Boeing fleet, I don’t think the Boeing 777-300ERs will ever get the upgrade, since they’re going to be phased out once the Boeing 777-9s arrive (if ever!). However, I would expect the relatively-new Boeing 787-10 to receive Starlink as well as the B737-8 MAX, since it’s going to be the backbone of SIA’s narrowbody fleet for years to come.

How long will the rollout take?

Singapore Airlines intends to complete the Starlink rollout by the end of 2029. 

Given the limited rollout of just 53 aircraft, and the fact that Starlink installations can be completed as quickly as a couple of days during routine maintenance, the protracted timeline is curious to say the least.

My guess is that SIA plans to time these upgrades to coincide with the retrofit programme for the Airbus A350-900LHs and Airbus A350-900ULRs, which will see all-new cabin products introduced from tip to tail, as well as the installation of an all-new KrisWorld inflight entertainment system.

We should expect to hear more news on the Starlink installation plan by the end of the year, including which routes the airline intends to debut the service on.

What is the current Wi-Fi situation?

Singapore Airlines now offers Wi-Fi across 100% of its fleet, following the retirement of the Boeing 737-800s late last year. 

It uses two different systems:

• Panasonic Ku-band
• SITAOnAir GX Ka-band

While the Ka-band system is generally faster, both systems still rely on GEO satellites, which makes them very sluggish compared to LEO. It’s good enough for basic browsing and emails, but struggles with anything beyond that. Forget streaming- even tasks like downloading large files or completing online transactions frequently timeout, making for a frustrating experience.

Moreover, Wi-Fi is only available when the aircraft reaches cruising altitude, meaning you will lose connection during take-off and landing.

Why is Starlink so much faster?

To appreciate how much of a quantum leap Starlink is over traditional inflight Wi-Fi, you first need to understand the difference between LEO satellites and GEO satellites.

Traditional inflight Wi-Fi systems like Panasonic rely on GEO satellites, which orbit the Earth at altitudes of ~35,000 km. Starlink, on the other hand, uses LEO satellites, which orbit at altitudes of ~500 km. With the average aircraft cruising at just 10 km, the difference in distance has a significant impact on signal quality and bandwidth.

It’s simple physics: the greater the distance, the longer the latency. A longer journey means more signal loss, and therefore lower data rates. To put it another way, LEO is like talking to someone across the room. GEO is like shouting to someone on a faraway mountain!

There are also architectural differences. GEO systems typically connect the aircraft to a single satellite at a time, which limits overall capacity. LEO networks, however, continuously hand off the connection between multiple satellites, allowing for higher bandwidth and better load balancing.

So GEO isn’t “bad tech” as such. It’s just slow because physics is working against it. LEO makes everything faster by bringing the network closer to Earth, which delivers the kind of speeds that GEO never realistically could. 

What’s it like using Starlink inflight?

In a word: revolutionary.

I recently had the opportunity to do a test flight on United Airlines with Starlink, and it was every bit the gamechanger it’s hyped up to be. 

It’s not just about streaming Netflix or downloading large email attachments, useful as those are. It’s about having a dependable, low-ping connection you can rely on for tasks like collaborative Google Docs editing, stock trading, or even accessing your home camera feeds.

As I wrote at the time:

The inflight Starlink experience was transformative. Entertainment and work aside, a reliable, speedy connection enabled me to handle the minutiae of everyday life. I could use my camera to check why the sliding door at home wasn’t closing properly. I could let the delivery person in via the intercom. I could make precise adjustments to my curtains to keep the harsh afternoon sun from roasting my computer room. 

When I wanted to purchase something on Shopee, I knew the 2FA push notification would reliably pop up on my phone banking app, without me having to repeat the transaction multiple times. When I opened an app which required an update before use, it was an annoyance rather than a deal-breaker (imagine trying to download a 100MB app update on a GEO system).

Basically, Starlink removed so many of the small niggles that hamper your workflow and kill your productivity.

I’ve written a full report on the experience, which you can find below.

I tried Starlink on a plane, and now I can never go back

Conclusion

Singapore Airlines passengers can look forward to Starlink inflight internet from Q1 2027, which promises significantly faster speeds, together with gate-to-gate connectivity. 

It’s a bit surprising that the rollout has been limited to the Airbus A350-900LH, A350-900ULR and A380-800 fleet, with no love for the Airbus A350-900MH, or any of the Boeing aircraft for that matter. Perhaps this will be part of a second wave, so we’ll have to keep a close watch on that.

Starlink internet will be effectively free for all passengers, with the only “hurdle” to have a KrisFlyer membership, if you’re in Premium Economy or Economy. 

I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time, and hopefully we’ll hear something about those new cabin products soon too!

(Cover photo: Plane’s Portrait Aviation Media)