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SAS now has Starlink across its entire A320neo fleet
In six months, SAS has installed Starlink high-speed Wi-Fi on all 81 Airbus A320neo aircraft. The connection is therefore available on a large part of the airline's European network. The next step will be to equip the remaining aircraft types.
SAS has now completed the installation of Starlink high-speed Wi-Fi across its entire fleet of Airbus A320neo aircraft.
In total, this involves 81 aircraft, which have gradually been equipped with the technology since its launch in March. According to SAS, the rollout was completed in six months, alongside regular flight operations.
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The A320neo fleet accounts for around 70 per cent of SAS's total aircraft fleet and forms the backbone of the airline's European operations. This means that Starlink is now available on a significant proportion of SAS flights within Scandinavia and elsewhere in Europe.
- Today, the installation across our entire A320neo fleet has been completed, in record time. The high-speed connection means that many of our customers can enjoy a better-connected journey, says Paul Verhagen, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer at SAS.
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Free for EuroBonus members
SAS offers the Starlink connection free of charge to members of EuroBonus, through the airline's partnership with 3.
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The idea is that travellers will be able to use the connection throughout the flight, including for work, streaming, staying in touch or browsing.
SAS describes the service as a gate-to-gate solution, meaning that the connection will be available throughout the journey and not only at cruising altitude.
Next aircraft types in line
The A320neo is the first aircraft type in SAS's fleet in which every aircraft has now been equipped with Starlink.
The airline is also moving on to the next phase of the rollout. Preparations are under way for installation on the remaining aircraft types, with further installations planned before the end of the year.
SAS launched Starlink in March with the ambition of rapidly expanding the high-speed connection to more customers.
The technology is based on SpaceX's network of satellites in low Earth orbit and is intended to provide higher speeds and lower latency than traditional onboard internet solutions.
For SAS, connectivity therefore becomes another aspect of competition for air travellers – particularly on European routes, where working travellers and frequent business travellers are an important customer group.
