Wizz Air is bringing Starlink Wi-Fi to its flights — but there's a catch
Wizz Air has announced a partnership with Starlink Aviation that will bring satellite internet to its flights from 2027, making it the first European ultra-low-cost carrier (ULCC) to commit to the service. All new-generation aircraft will be equipped from the outset, promising consistent coverage across every route the airline flies. For passengers used to going offline the moment the doors close, that's a meaningful change — if the economics hold up.
The deal
Wizz Air has been quietly testing the waters: since March 2026, five of its UK aircraft have run a trial using the Iridium system, a lower-bandwidth service good enough for messaging but not much else. Starlink replaces that with full broadband speeds. The airline hasn't disclosed the commercial terms of the SpaceX deal, but one clause is already public: per Simple Flying, Starlink prohibits airlines from charging passengers separately for the service. That means no bolt-on Wi-Fi fee — which, from Wizz Air, would genuinely be a first.
Ian Malin, Wizz Air's chief commercial officer, framed it as a philosophy shift: "Ultra-low-cost travel has always been about making possibilities accessible to more people. In 2027, we're taking that philosophy into the space age." The practical upshot is that you'd be able to stream, work, or scroll on a Budapest-to-London flight without waiting to land.
Starlink will deliver fast, reliable connectivity onboard @wizzair, enabling passengers to stream, scroll, and surf seamlessly throughout every flight ?✈️❤️ https://t.co/l0RgcbIaLa
— Starlink (@Starlink) June 8, 2026
The competitive picture
British Airways launched the UK's first Starlink cabin service in March 2026; Virgin Atlantic began its own rollout two months later. Wizz Air's 2027 timeline puts it behind both, plus Lufthansa Group and IAG — which owns British Airways and Iberia — on the European side. Ryanair and easyJet have so far declined. Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary put a number on why: roughly $250 million a year once hardware costs and extra fuel burn from the antenna drag are factored in. On short routes with thin margins, that's a hard sum to make work.
What's still unknown
Wizz Air hasn't said whether the service will be free to all passengers, gated behind its loyalty programme, or handled some other way. If Wi-Fi access requires a loyalty login, that raises data questions — Starlink updated its privacy policy in January 2026 to allow passenger data to be used for AI training unless users opt out. The airline has not addressed how it will handle GDPR compliance on that front. The scope of any retrofit to existing aircraft is also unconfirmed; the Starlink commitment currently applies to new-generation planes only. Expect more detail closer to the 2027 launch.
