Big South African airline considering new in-flight Wi-Fi services — including Starlink

FlySafair is reviewing newer Internet technologies for airplanes, including Starlink, to potentially provide onboard Wi-Fi on its domestic flights.

Local flights in South Africa generally don’t offer in-flight Wi-Fi services.

FlySafair told MyBroadband this was because the conventional connectivity technology for these services was not attractive to implement as the required equipment was expensive and the service quality “spotty”.

The only commercial technology capable of providing Wi-Fi on a plane at a cruising altitude above the Earth is satellite Internet.

For a long time, the only satellites available for this service were in geosynchronous (GEO) orbit, around 35,000km above the Earth.

While these satellites can cover large areas with connectivity, they offer low bandwidth and high latency due to their large distance from the planet.

FlySafair said aside from satellite Internet on planes being expensive, installing the required auxiliary radome on top of the fuselage was problematic.

“This radome can adversely affect the aircraft’s aerodynamic performance, leading to increased operational costs,” it said.

“They also often require that holes are drilled through the hulls, which can devalue the planes.”

Radome for Internet connectivity installed on the roof of a narrowbody airliner.

The longest flights on commercial airlines in South Africa are only around two hours.

With the short flight time, passengers are less likely to be frustrated without online connectivity for entertainment or work than on an international flight.

However, FlySafair said there were newer technologies that address the poor performance, installation, and cost issues, which the company was reviewing with great interest.

Among the solutions FlySafair is considering is Starlink Aviation, a business product for airlines that uses SpaceX’s vast fleet of about 6,000 low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites. It also supports coverage to customers using its land-based services.

Launched in October 2022, Starlink Aviation is advertised with download speeds ranging between 40Mbps and 220Mbps and uploads from 8Mbps to 25Mbps. These speeds are substantially better than those offered on GEO services from companies like Viasat.

Starlink charges $2,000 per month for a package with a 20GB cap and $10,000 per month for an uncapped plan. Importantly, both are available on a month-to-month basis.

Several airlines in other countries are already using the service — including Air New Zealand, Hawaiian Airlines, JSX, and Qatar Airways.

Many of their executives have heaped praise on Starlink for the service’s high performance.

JSX Co-Founder and CEO Alex Wilcox said the company’s planes get around 200Mbps speeds on its airplanes.

“It is actually faster than many of the homes in North America, so you feel as if you’re at home or in the office. It is an incredibly reliable and fast product,” Wilcox said.

However, there is a hefty once-off price of $150,000 for the Aero Terminal antenna, a power supply unit, two wireless access points, and harnessing.

Starlink Aero Terminal installed on a Hawaiian Airlines airplane. The airline provides its passengers with free access to Starlink Wi-Fi.

Two hurdles will need to be cleared before FlySafair or other airlines in South Africa will be able to use Starlink Aviation.

Firstly, Starlink Aviation is subject to regulatory approval, and just like its land-based service, the product would likely be deemed “illegal” by Icasa until Starlink acquires the necessary telecoms licences.

Secondly, the Starlink Aviation Aero Terminal antenna has only been certified for use on 12 airframes.

The Embraer ERJ-135, one of the aircraft used by Airlink, is currently the only supported airframe operating in commercial flights in South Africa.

The Starlink Aviation FAQ shows that certification for the Boeing 737, the most widely-used plane for domestic flights in South Africa, should be ready in the fourth quarter of 2024.

The Airbus A320 and A330 — used by Lift and South African Airways — are also expected to have a certified design by that time.

MyBroadband also asked Cemair, Lift, and South African Airways for feedback regarding their plans for in-fligh Wi-Fi.

Cemair and South African Airways did not respond by the time of publication, while Lift declined to comment.