British Airways in Talks With SpaceX and Amazon Over Wi-Fi Deal

British Airways’ owner is in talks with Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Amazon about its in-flight Wi-Fi service, and discussions between the companies will continue for the foreseeable future.

According to a new report from Fortune, as SpaceX’s satellite internet business gains traction with major international carriers, IAG SA is in talks with Elon Musk’s Starlink to equip its fleet of aircraft with Wi-Fi service.

The airline group’s chief of innovation, Annalisa Gigante, told Bloomberg that IAG, which also owns Spain’s Iberia and Ireland’s Aer Lingus, hasn’t made a decision yet and is considering options with several providers, including Amazon.com Inc.’s fledgling Project Kuiper.

“We are working a lot, both with Starlink and with Amazon’s Kuiper,” Gigante said. “We’ve got some really exciting things coming up, but that’s going to be for next year.”

The discussions highlight an impending disruption in the aviation services industry driven by installing satellite constellations in closer orbit around the planet. Airlines like British Airways are signing agreements with Starlink and other companies to replace expensive, insufficient in-flight Wi-Fi. Increased satellite bandwidth has contributed to the creation of online browsing experiences that are more in line with what customers anticipate locally.

Because Starlink is already approved by the Federal Aviation Administration, U.S. airlines can quickly implement it, but European carriers must first undergo a certification process, according to Gigante. According to her, British Airways would require a different accreditation from Iberia.

British Airways Is Not Flying to Israel Yet

Meanwhile, British Airways is still not flying to Israel after stopping service to the region in October.

According to The Times of Israel, the airline will stop flying to Tel Aviv until the end of March next year due to the escalating violence in southern Lebanon and the escalating tensions in the Middle East.

“This will give greater certainty to our customers who we’re contacting to advise them of their options, including a full refund,” a spokesperson for British Airways said in an emailed statement to the outlet.

The ongoing Middle East conflict, which has drawn increasing criticism from human rights organizations due to the increasing number of attacks on defenseless civilians in the Palestinian territory, has caused numerous international airlines to halt flights to and from Israel in the past year.

But Air Europa, Air France, RyanAir, ITA Airways, Lot, the Lufthansa Group, Air Baltic, Bulgaria Air, and Iberia have all extended their routes to and from Israel. Israeli carriers El Al, Arkia, and Israir have continued to operate flights to and from Israel during the conflict, only stopping when Israeli airspace or Ben Gurion Airport is closed.