PASSENGERS travelling on Qantas’ overseas services will soon be able to enjoy speedy, cheap wi-fi during their flight. The internet capabilities will begin rolling out before the end of the year, first on Asian routes, followed by the trans-Tasman and Pacific, before coming online onboard flights to Europe closer to the second half of 2026.
The global satellite technology, provided by Viaset, will first become available across the airline’s fleet of A330, 787 and A380 aircraft, making it easy for passengers to stream movies, TV shows, news bulletins and live sports.
Installation on all eight of its A330-200LR aircraft, which currently fly to Asia and the United States, is expected to be finalised and ready by the end of this year.
Qantas confirmed that the fast and free wi-fi will also be installed in stages for use on its B787, A380 and A330-300s, commencing from 2025. New A350 and B787 aircraft currently on order for Qantas will also be equipped with the high-speed wi-fi upon delivery.
Phil Capps, the carrier’s Executive Manager for Product and Service, said the airline wanted to ensure the technology could fulfil its customer requirements before commencing the roll-out. He explained to The Australian, “we didn’t want to go out strong with international wi-fi until we were comfortable that we could meet a comparable benchmark”.
The announcement follows Qantas’ overhaul of its frequent flyer program last month, which introduced a mid-range option between the existing Classic and Points Pay Plus rewards options, giving loyalty members access to more than 20 million reward seats on international flights.
