Starlink internet. Photo: Emirates The United Arab Emirates' award-winning airline Emirates announced that its passengers have made more than a million connections to the Starlink satellite Wi-Fi network since it was launched on its fleet just seven months ago.
At the same time, total data consumption exceeded 1 petabyte (1,024 terabytes), illustrating the rapid adoption of the new technology.
According to the company, passengers in all classes of service take advantage of the fast connection to watch content, make video calls, surf social networks, play online and stay in constant contact with home - even at an altitude of 40,000 feet.
The system is already installed on 33 Boeing 777s and three Airbus A380s, and the installation process continues apace. The A380, the world's largest aircraft, is equipped with three dedicated antennas that enable exceptionally wide coverage and high throughput for all passengers.
Emirates reports that the system is capable of providing a total bandwidth of more than 2 gigabytes per second, a dramatic upgrade over previous generation systems that provided less than 1 megabyte to the entire aircraft.
The company notes that in the future, live television broadcasts will also be added directly to the in-flight entertainment system, a move that marks the continuation of airlines' race toward a fully connected flight experience - almost like at home, only in the clouds.