American Airlines has announced that is fitting Starlink inflight connectivity (IFC) systems on its entire mainline fleet, comprising more than 1,030 aircraft, including its Airbus narrowbodies (500+ planes) and Boeing narrowbodies (400+) and widebodies (130+). The airline plans to begin installations in early 2027.
The mainline fleet rollout builds on the airline’s recent connectivity investments, including the airline’s announcement last May to install Starlink on more than 500 Airbus aircraft.
Encompassing more than 1,000 aircraft, the programme is a major undertaking, and will make American Airlines one of the world’s largest operators of Starlink-connected fleets equipped with Starlink’s Performance Aero Terminal, which can deliver speeds of up to 1 Gbps per terminal.
The race is on against United Airlines, which has already equipped than 400 aircraft in its fleet with Starlink systems, and plans to have nearly 1,000 aircraft flying with Starlink before the end of 2026.
More than 165 million customers fly on a mainline American aircraft each year across four fleet families. That number is expected to grow as the airline takes delivery of more than 300 new mainline aircraft in the coming years.
You can watch a video explaining American Airlines’ huge Starlink installation programme HERE.
