Korean Air to become East Asia’s 1st full-service airline with free Starlink Wi-Fi

Korean Air will begin offering free high-speed internet through SpaceX's Starlink satellite network next week, becoming the first full-service airline in East Asia to adopt the service.

The Starlink Wi-Fi service will launch Tuesday on four retrofitted aircraft -- three Airbus A350-900s and one Boeing 777-300ER, the Korea Herald reported Friday, citing the airline.

The aircraft will mainly serve long-haul routes to the Americas, Europe and Southeast Asia as well as selected short-haul destinations.

Korean Air plans to install Starlink across most of its fleet by the end of 2027. Aircraft awaiting the upgrade will continue using the carrier's existing paid Wi-Fi service.

Starlink access will be free across all cabin classes. Korean Air said the low-Earth-orbit satellite system will provide speeds close to ground-based connections, allowing passengers to stream video and music, browse the internet, play online games and use cloud-based work applications.

Voice and video calls and live social media streaming will remain prohibited for security and passenger comfort, while access to insecure or illegal websites will be blocked.

The rollout comes as Korean Air approaches the planned completion of its integration with Asiana Airlines in December.