Flag-carrier Iberia unveiled a landmark connectivity agreement on 10 November that will see every aircraft in its fleet equipped with Starlink satellite internet by 2026—making Spain the first EU market where a major airline offers complimentary, high-speed Wi-Fi in all cabins.
Under the pact signed by parent company IAG and SpaceX subsidiary Starlink, download speeds of up to 450 Mbps and upload speeds of 70 Mbps will be available gate-to-gate, including polar and oceanic routes where traditional air-to-ground systems fail.
![Iberia Strikes Deal with Starlink to Deliver Free High-Speed Wi-Fi Fleet-Wide]()
The initiative forms a pillar of Iberia’s €6 billion ‘Flight Plan 2030’, which focuses on digitalisation, artificial-intelligence-driven customer service and the construction of ‘Ciudad Iberia’, an innovation park adjacent to Madrid-Barajas. Free connectivity is expected to boost the airline’s Net Promoter Score among business travellers, a demographic increasingly lured by Gulf and U.S. carriers that already tout unlimited onboard internet.
For corporate travel managers, the change removes a common pain-point—steep per-megabyte fees—and supports the growing culture of ‘work-from-airplane’. The carrier has not disclosed installation costs, but aviation analysts estimate Starlink hardware at about €600,000 per wide-body jet, offset by ancillary revenue from e-commerce and targeted advertising portals.
Rivals such as Air Europa and Vueling may feel competitive pressure to accelerate their own connectivity upgrades, potentially turning Spain into a regional test-bed for ubiquitous in-flight broadband.
Under the pact signed by parent company IAG and SpaceX subsidiary Starlink, download speeds of up to 450 Mbps and upload speeds of 70 Mbps will be available gate-to-gate, including polar and oceanic routes where traditional air-to-ground systems fail.
The initiative forms a pillar of Iberia’s €6 billion ‘Flight Plan 2030’, which focuses on digitalisation, artificial-intelligence-driven customer service and the construction of ‘Ciudad Iberia’, an innovation park adjacent to Madrid-Barajas. Free connectivity is expected to boost the airline’s Net Promoter Score among business travellers, a demographic increasingly lured by Gulf and U.S. carriers that already tout unlimited onboard internet.
For corporate travel managers, the change removes a common pain-point—steep per-megabyte fees—and supports the growing culture of ‘work-from-airplane’. The carrier has not disclosed installation costs, but aviation analysts estimate Starlink hardware at about €600,000 per wide-body jet, offset by ancillary revenue from e-commerce and targeted advertising portals.
Rivals such as Air Europa and Vueling may feel competitive pressure to accelerate their own connectivity upgrades, potentially turning Spain into a regional test-bed for ubiquitous in-flight broadband.
