American Airlines expands Starlink to 1,000 aircraft

• American Airlines (NASDAQ:AAL) said it plans to install SpaceX’s Starlink internet service across its entire mainline fleet of more than 1,000 aircraft starting next year.
• The expanded rollout adds more than 530 Boeing aircraft to a plan that already covered over 500 Airbus jets.
• The fleet will use SpaceX’s Performance Aero Terminal, which American said can deliver speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second.

American Airlines (NASDAQ:AAL) said it now plans to install SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service across its entire mainline fleet of more than 1,030 aircraft beginning next year.

The expanded plan adds more than 530 Boeing aircraft to the program, extending a rollout that American previously said would cover more than 500 Airbus jets.

The airline said Starlink-equipped aircraft will use SpaceX’s Performance Aero Terminal, an aircraft-mounted satellite antenna system.

American said the terminal is capable of delivering internet speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second, while financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

The airline operates more than 900 single-aisle aircraft, with the remainder consisting of widebody jets.

American first announced in May that it planned to install Starlink on more than 500 Airbus aircraft, and the latest decision broadens the program to the rest of its primary fleet.

The expansion makes Starlink the planned satellite internet platform across American’s mainline aircraft as the carrier upgrades onboard connectivity across both narrowbody and widebody fleets.