QANTAS: WiFi on international flights delayed

Technical issues with supplier Viasat are believed to be at the core of the delayed roll out of WiFi on Qantas international flights.

WiFi on board Qantas international flights was promised for late 2024. With days to go, this is not going to happen. 2025 is the earliest Qantas will be able to provide this service.

The roll-out

According to an article in The Australian, the delay concerns the complex nature of the retrospective install, especially on the Airbus A330-300 fleet.

These are the first of the international fleet to be fitted with the most up-to-date Viasat WiFi equipment. According to roll-out plans, there are 16 of the A330-200s to equip, before the roll-out moves on to the A330-300s, the Boeing 787-9s and finally the Airbus A380s.

The yet-to-be-delivered Airbus A350-1000ULR aircraft ordered for the international Project Sunrise routes will arrive from late in 2026. WiFi capability will be already installed.

Other Airlines

The Qantas WiFi plans may already be outdated. Hawaiian Airlines and Qatar Airways are signed up to Starlink, as are Air France and United Airlines from 2025.

The Elon Musk-backed Starlink project is a network of over 7,000 low-earth orbit satellites. It can provide high-speed internet access in every cabin with speeds sufficient for streaming. Starlink is considered a superior product to Viasat.

Background

Qantas installed reasonable-quality WiFi on its domestic services more than seven years ago. This late installation of WiFi makes it a laggard among international carriers.

The delay in WiFi installation on the international fleet has been blamed on the lack of a suitable option available on the routes Qantas regularly traverses. Qantas, Delta, and American Airlines argue that Viasat provides that solution. Other airlines have adopted Starlink as a superior technology.

Retrofitting WiFi on the Qantas fleet involves cutting a hole in the existing airframe and installing a radome with the Viasat antenna. The A380s will provide a particular challenge due to their size and the complete lack of installed on-air infrastructure.

“When we acquired the A380s, it was before 2010, and the available on-air infrastructure was quite limited, so the work that’s involved in us now taking an A380 and fitting it with the latest gen Wi-Fi is considerably bigger.”

Phil Capps, Qantas Executive Manager for Product and Service

Just like with its domestic service, the Qantas international WiFi will be ‘fast and free’ in all cabins.

2PAXfly Takeout

Australians are quick adopters of new technology, particularly smartphones. But Qantas, formerly a technology leader, has been a laggard in upgrading its fleet and providing international WiFi.

Now, it looks like Qantas may have made a mistake in its chosen provider. I’m no fan of Mr Musk, particularly the political company he keeps. Starlink is, however, well recognised as the currently ‘Best in Show’ for international wireless connections.

On the other hand, second-best WiFi will be better than no WiFi on Qantas international routes.