KLM passengers will have free inflight Wi-Fi across a large swath of the carrier’s network starting this week. Half the short-haul fleet will see the service activated initially, with the remaining planes rolling out in the months ahead.
“We listen carefully to what our passengers value and free internet has been on their wish list for some time,” shared KLM’s Stephanie Putzeist. “Through this step, we are making travel within Europe more personal and comfortable: everyone can plan their flight in their own way and stay connected. We are delighted to realize this now for our passengers.”
The service is provided by Viasat via Ka-band satellite coverage. Viasat shares that 68 aircraft are ultimately expected to be covered by the deal.
KLM plans to activate the flip to free in phases “across most of the aircraft used for its European routes.” Half the European fleet will see the complimentary service enabled as of 22 January 2026. The airline expects to complete installation on the Cityhopper Embraer 195-E2 fleet “in the coming years” along with maintaining the active deployment on its A321neo fleet, including new deliveries.
Some of the carrier’s 737-800s will also be fitted with the free service. When the first KLM planes went live in 2021 with the Viasat solution just 18 of the 737s were expected to see the hardware installed.
“Full, fast, and free in-flight Wi-Fi is the future, and we are incredibly proud to expand our relationship with KLM to deliver a superior in-flight connectivity experience to passengers across Europe,” added Don Buchman, President of Viasat Aviation.
KLM’s decision to extend its partnership with Viasat comes 15 months after Air France chose Starlink for its next phase of inflight internet and four months after the first aircraft flying that service went live. The Air France-KLM Group is clearly choosing a different approach to procurement and product alignment than IAG and Lufthansa Group, both of which announced group-wide, fleet-wide deals for Starlink in recent weeks.
The commitment from Viasat and KLM to deliver the streaming-level service complimentary on board (Flying Blue membership required) reconfirms that multiple providers stand ready to deliver on that value proposition. This is not Viasat’s first go at “full, fast, and free,” having launched that segment with JetBlue more than a decade ago. It has expanded to several airlines since then.
Similarly, Anuvu, SES, Panasonic Avionics, and Starlink all support airlines offering complimentary connectivity service to their passengers.
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