Kazakh airlines are preparing to introduce satellite internet on board. The first aircraft with internet access could appear by the end of 2026, according to infohub.kz.
The government has previously announced plans to connect aircraft to satellite internet. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner was named as one of the first aircraft to receive the technology.
As Temirlan Zinalabdin, CEO of Freedom Cloud, notes, the development of in-flight internet has long been hindered by the high cost of equipment and limitations of satellite communications. The situation changed with the emergence of low-orbit satellite constellations, which provide higher speeds and lower latency.
According to him, major global carriers are already making internet part of their basic service. For instance, Qatar Airways has completed installing Starlink on its Boeing 777 aircraft and has begun equipping Airbus A350 and Boeing 787. United Airlines also plans to provide internet across its entire fleet.
The expert believes that connectivity on board is needed not only for passengers. It allows airlines to promptly inform customers about connections and delays, as well as to transmit technical data to ground services for aircraft maintenance more quickly.
However, the main issue remains the economics of the project. Equipping a new aircraft with internet is significantly easier than retrofitting an existing one. Therefore, the most likely scenario, according to the expert, is a phased introduction of the technology – first on new long-haul aircraft, and then on the rest of the fleet.
“In a few years, the question will no longer be: ‘Is there internet on board?’ Passengers will ask how fast it is, whether it is included in the ticket price, and why a particular airline still cannot provide it,” Zinalabdin believes.
Earlier, citing promises from the Ministry of Transport, Kursiv reported that internet should appear on Kazakh aircraft by the end of 2026.