Boeing and Virgin Atlantic have signed a new agreement to implement Starlink WiFi connectivity across the airline's fleet of 787 Dreamliners. The deal was announced at MRO Europe on Wednesday (October 15).
As part of the modifications, Boeing will install new antenna fairing designed to accommodate Electronically Steered Phased Array (ESA) antennas.
Together with an ESA, the fairing, called the Boeing Aerodynamic Shroud, supports Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and multi-orbit connectivity.
"We're witnessing rapid advances in satellite and antenna technology, and we're proud to provide our OEM-backed engineering expertise and hardware to Virgin Atlantic,” said Doug Backhus, vice president of cabin, modifications and maintenance at Boeing Global Services.
This week, as covered by Airline Economics, United Airlines operated its first Starlink-equipped mainline flight, flying Newark Airport to Houston.
More than half of United's regional fleet already offers Starlink.