Air NZ's Airbus 320 domestic aircraft. Photo: 123RF
Air New Zealand has started trialling wireless internet on a domestic aircraft using Starlink satellites.
The airline said from Tuesday passengers flying on one of its A320 domestic aircraft would be able to access high-speed, low-latency internet, with an ATR-72 turboprop joining the trial later in the month.
It said Wi-Fi would be provided free of charge during the trial, with passengers able to browse, access social media, stream or play games.
Starlink - owned by controversial billionaire Elon Musk's company SpaceX - uses low Earth orbit satellites to provide internet coverage across the world.
Air New Zealand chief digital officer Nikhil Ravishankar said the upcoming ATR aircraft trial would be a world first.
"Being the first airline in the world to trial Wi-Fi on a turboprop aircraft is a proud moment for us," Ravishankar said.
"Our goal is to explore the potential of this technology and understand how it can enhance customer journeys."
Air New Zealand said it was in the testing phase of Starlink's onboard connectivity and sought to understand how it performed in real-world conditions, while gathering customer feedback.
"[Customer] feedback will help guide our decision-making as we consider connectivity options for our domestic fleet," Ravishankar said.
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