Ryanair CEO Reportedly Rules Out Equipping Aircraft With Starlink Even As Airlines Embrace Musk's Satellite Wi-Fi

• O’Leary also cited the short length of Ryanair’s flights as another reason to not install Elon Musk’s Starlink.
• Several airlines worldwide have embraced Starlink, offering Wi-Fi services to their passengers with low latency and high speeds.
• The latest to join the list is Lufthansa – the company announced that it will equip its fleet of 850 aircraft with Starlink’s satellite internet service, allowing passengers across all classes to enjoy high-speed internet in the air.

Ryanair Holdings PLC (RYAAY) CEO Michael O'Leary has reportedly turned down the possibility of the airline equipping its aircraft with SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service.

In an interview with Reuters, O’Leary cited the impact of fuel costs from having Starlink equipment on board the company’s aircraft. He also cited the short length of Ryanair’s flights as another reason not to install Elon Musk’s Starlink.

“You need to put antenna on fuselage it comes with a 2% fuel ⁠penalty because of ​the weight and ​drag. We don't think ‍our ⁠passengers are willing to pay for WiFi for an average ⁠1-hour flight,” O'Leary said in the interview.

Airlines Embrace Starlink

Several airlines worldwide have embraced Starlink, offering Wi-Fi services to their passengers with low latency and high speeds.

The latest to join the list is Lufthansa – the company announced that it will equip its fleet of 850 aircraft with Starlink’s satellite internet service, allowing passengers across all classes to enjoy high-speed internet in the air.

Qatar Airways is another major customer of Starlink, having equipped its fleet with the satellite internet service and providing customers with free gate-to-gate access.

United Airlines, Alaska Airlines, and Air France are a few other companies offering Starlink on board their aircraft.

SpaceX is currently not listed. Retail sentiment on Stocktwits around the company trended in the ‘bearish’ territory at the time of writing.

Also See: Trump Says US Needs Greenland For National Security: ‘If We Don’t, Russia Or China Will’

For updates and corrections, email newsroom[at]stocktwits[dot]com.

Share

·

Add us on