Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos are emerging as the chief rivals in a new front of the space race: bringing fast, reliable wi-fi to commercial airline passengers.
As airlines compete more aggressively for premium travelers, in-flight connectivity has become an increasingly important selling point. That has turned satellite internet into a high-stakes contest, with Musk’s Starlink and Amazon’s Project Kuiper—often referred to as Leo in the satellite broadband market—positioning themselves as leading contenders.
Starlink has built an early advantage. The SpaceX-backed network, which accounts for roughly two-thirds of all satellites currently in orbit and serves as a major source of SpaceX revenue, has already added 11 new airline customers this year for onboard wi-fi service.
That follows a strong run of growth, according to aviation intelligence firm Valour Consultancy, which reported 22 new airline customers in 2025 and eight more in 2024.
Amazon, by contrast, is still in the process of expanding its satellite constellation. Its effort recently suffered a significant blow after a dramatic Blue Origin rocket failure last month. Even so, the company has begun gaining traction, landing its first airline agreements with Delta Air Lines and JetBlue Airways.
For carriers, the stakes are high. Equipping aircraft with satellite broadband is a costly undertaking, with installation expenses for large fleets climbing into the hundreds of millions of dollars.
But carriers increasingly rely on premium products like in-flight wi-fi to boost their margins, and they’re likely to commit more heavily in the coming years – Decius Valmorbida, president of travel at Amadeus, a travel technology company, calls the technology as a ‘game changer.’
‘It’s going to become a necessity that every airline will rush to have its own version of. It is becoming a must‑have,’ said Valmorbida.
The race to bring high-speed wi-fi to airplanes is seeing Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, pictured last month with wife Lauren Sanchez, go head to head with fellow tech titan Elon Musk
Musk’s Starlink appears to have a head start as it competes to roll out online services across a wide range of airlines
Starlink, which uses thousands of low-Earth-orbit satellites rather than larger, slower geostationary satellites, is much faster than legacy systems, according to Ookla, a broadband analytics firm.
In a sign of demand across the airline spectrum, Southwest Airlines said it chose Starlink for its ‘speed to market,’ but has not ruled out Amazon’s Leo as it pushes for industry-leading wi-fi.
‘There’s multiple ways to get there,’ said Tony Roach, Southwest’s chief customer and brand officer.
American Airlines said in late May it that would equip more than 500 narrowbody aircraft with Starlink starting in early 2027.
Not everyone is convinced: Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary has ruled out adopting Starlink, citing costs and fuel burn from the antennas, prompting a fiery dispute with Musk.
Jefferies analysts estimate American Airlines’ Starlink rollout could cost $150 million to $250 million for equipment and installation, based on its fleet, before annual service fees that could exceed $60 million.
Lluc Palerm, research director at Analysys Mason, said airline wifi ‘will become a battleground’ between Starlink and Amazon Leo, though Amazon remains limited as its satellite constellation is in its infancy.
SpaceX now holds Starlink contracts covering more than 7,000 aircraft, cementing an ‘undeniable’ lead, said Daniel Welch, a senior consultant at Valour Consultancy.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida
A huge explosion during a Blue Origin rocket last month could prove to be a set back as Jeff Bezos joins the clamber to improve connectivity for air travelers
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Palerm said Starlink’s early gains are meaningful because switching providers is costly: aircraft must be taken out of service for installations, onboard equipment is provider-specific and contracts typically run for years.
The airline sales come as SpaceX’s upcoming record-breaking public listing has sharpened investor focus on Starlink’s expansion beyond consumer broadband.
Starlink generated $11.4billion of SpaceX’s $18.67billion revenue in 2025, according to SpaceX’s IPO filing, making it by far the company’s largest revenue source.
Starlink is emphasizing speed and installation simplicity, while Amazon is pitching a broader technology ecosystem, including cloud computing, entertainment and retail links that it says can help airlines serve passengers beyond basic connectivity.
Delta’s choice of Amazon Leo illustrates that distinction. The carrier selected Amazon Leo for an initial 500 aircraft beginning in 2028, building on its Amazon Web Services relationship.
Legacy in-flight wifi providers including Viasat, Intelsat, Panasonic Avionics and Hughes remain embedded across large fleets.
