Norwegian Airlines will pass on Starlink for its inflight internet, according to a Reuters report. CEO Geir Karlsen is the second European U/LCC executive to dismiss the LEO satellite supplier in recent weeks.
Karlsen’s diss follows a rather amusing and somewhat misguided online battle between Ryanair’s Michael O’Leary and Elon Musk. As with the Ryanair spat, the Norwegian one also includes some bad information.
Karlsen shared that the carrier would not pursue Starlink at this time in part because the provider requires airlines to deliver it complimentary to passengers. While Norwegian offered its service for free in the past, it currently operates in a freemium model, with a 15 minute freebie today. Additional time or higher speeds require payment.
But Karlsen also expressed concern that the solution is not certified on 737s, the backbone of Norwegian’s fleet. That is likely to come as a surprise to WestJet which has been delivering Starlink connectivity on its fleet of 737s for nearly a year now. United Airlines also activated the service on its first 737s, with plans to deploy the kit on hundreds of mainline aircraft this year.
Perhaps the certification issue is related to EASA, as no European airlines have it active on the 737 yet, but that’s not quite the same story. Getting the hardware certified should not be considered a blocker at this point. Enough airlines and other companies have done it that Norwegian would face no resistance to making the move.
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