Yesterday, Qantas unveiled further details about the brand new seats and cabin on its Airbus A350-1000 called “Project Sunrise” and one of the features on this aircraft was the fast and free Wi-Fi. Ultimately, the free Wi-FI service will also be available to Qantas’ international networks.
Free Wi-Fi Services Coming To Qantas B787s, A330s, A350s, and A380s
Per Executive Traveller, Qantas is planning to install fast and free Wi-Fi service on most of its international fleet that includes the B787s, A330s, and A380 superjumbos. Initially, we thought that only the upcoming A350 will feature Wi-Fi onboard but it turned out that it was not just with it.
As mentioned in my earlier post, Qantas partnered with ViaSat to offer onboard Wi-Fi connectivity. The airline will rely on three ViaSat-3 satellites which will cover one-third of the planet each, giving fast connections.
Qantas currently offers Wi-Fi onboard select domestic flights but the airline did not install the system on international fleets citing speed and retrofitting issues in the future once the ViaSat is ready.
Qantas Introducing Fast & Free Wi-Fi Services Starting Mid-2024
While the first launch of the Wi-Fi will be in mid-2023, the official launch for services will be expected to be in mid-2024. This is due to compete the ViaSat-3 constellations to offer global connectivity.
However, since the first A350 will be delivered at the end of 2025, it is highly expected that the Wi-Fi service will be available on long-haul flights ahead of the A350’s debut.
The airline also has to deal with retrofitting existing aircraft for the upgrade which means these aircraft need to be taken out of service. This could impact Qantas’ capacity to boost so the airline is working on this factor too.
Summary
Qantas will be introducing Wi-Fi services on its long-haul international fleets starting mid-2024. The aircraft that will be retrofitted with the new ViaSat dish include B787s, A330s, A350s, and A380s. The launch is still at least two years out so we would have to wait until the satellite network is stable and complete.
