Latvian airline airBaltic has officially become the first European airline to deploy Starlink, SpaceX’s free high-speed internet, on its Airbus A220-300 fleet. With certification from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), this milestone marks a new era of excellent in-flight connectivity for passengers across the airline’s network.
To celebrate this achievement, airBaltic hosted a special flight at Riga Airport, bringing together key stakeholders, international and local media representatives and influencers to experience the possibilities of Starlink first-hand. The first commercial flight with free, high-speed Starlink internet was airBaltic flight 221 from Riga to Munich on 21 February 2025.
airBaltic President and CEO Martin Gauss said: “This is a historic milestone for airBaltic and a game-changer for European air travel. By becoming the first European airline to integrate SpaceX’s Starlink, we are redefining what connectivity in the sky means. This is not just an improvement, it is a revolution in air travel, and we are proud to be at the forefront, delivering the future of connectivity to our passengers today.”
SpaceX Vice President of Starlink Business Operations, Chad Gibbs, added: “Customers and crew on airBaltic flights will now have access to high-speed, low-latency internet as soon as they step onto their aircraft. This year, we plan to connect the entire airBaltic fleet to Starlink and we couldn’t be more excited to provide reliable internet service on tens of thousands of flights worldwide.“
With Starlink, airBaltic provides its passengers with uninterrupted, free, and fast, low-latency internet from boarding to landing. With delivery of up to 500 Mbps, passengers will be able to work remotely, stream videos and games, and use virtual private networks (VPNs), all of which will significantly improve the passenger experience in flight.
The full implementation of Starlink across airBaltic’s entire fleet of Airbus A220-300s is expected to be completed by the end of 2025.
