Cheap flights and fast Wi-Fi have rarely gone together, and Europe’s budget airlines have had a good excuse: the maths has not added up. Wizz Air is betting that is about to change.
The Hungarian ultra-low-cost carrier said on Monday it will offer Starlink, Elon Musk’s satellite internet, across its fleet from 2027, becoming the first European budget airline to commit to the technology. Wizz Air plans to fit the service to its entire Airbus A320-family fleet, more than 200 aircraft, plus new deliveries. It did not disclose the financial terms.
That reticence is telling, because the economics are exactly what has made rivals hesitate. Ryanair and EasyJet have both flagged the cost of putting Starlink on low-fare planes.
Ryanair’s Michael O’Leary has estimated it would cost his airline up to $250mn a year, partly because the rooftop antenna adds weight and drag, and therefore fuel. EasyJet said in January that the economics were “not right yet”. By moving first, Wizz Air is taking a bet its biggest competitors have so far declined.
The appeal is speed.
