Internet access during a flight is no longer a luxury – but the quality has often not been truly satisfactory. Slow loading times, disconnections and limited usage options often made surfing above the clouds a test of patience. This could soon change fundamentally: Airbus and Amazon have entered into a pioneering partnership that should provide passengers with significantly faster and more stable internet connections in the air in future.
Project Kuiper is integrated into HBCplus
At the heart of this partnership is Amazon’s ambitious “Project Kuiper” satellite project, which aims to put over 3,200 low earth orbit (LEO) satellites into operation in the coming years. Compared to conventional geostationary satellites (GEO), LEO satellites offer the advantage of significantly lower latency times and potentially higher data rates – a decisive factor for a user-friendly Internet experience on board.
In future, this technology is to become part of HBCplus (High Bandwidth Connectivity Plus), an open connectivity program from Airbus. HBCplus has a modular structure and allows the integration of various satellite providers – Project Kuiper is now a new, powerful player.
Internet like on the ground – even in the air
Amazon promises download speeds of up to one gigabit per second with Project Kuiper. For passengers, this would mean HD streaming, video conferencing, VPN use or online gaming would be just as possible during the flight as at home or in the office. This also opens up a new range of possibilities for airlines – for example for real-time data transmission, optimized fleet management or digital services for crew and passengers.
Chris Weber, Vice President of Project Kuiper, emphasizes the challenge of bringing Internet to flight level: “An aircraft is one of the most complex environments for connectivity. Our partnership with Airbus should enable airlines to meet these challenges – with powerful, reliable Internet connectivity above the clouds.”
Tim Sommer, Vice President at Airbus and Head of the Connected Aircraft Program, is also convinced: “With the integration of Project Kuiper into HBCplus, we are offering airlines a powerful option to respond to the increasing demands for connectivity on global routes.”
Installation in new aircraft and as a retrofit solution
A major advantage of the HBCplus approach is that the technology will not only be available for newly produced aircraft, but also as a retrofit solution in the Airbus catalog. This means that existing fleets can also benefit from the innovation – an important step towards comprehensive digitalization in commercial aviation.
The new connection technology will be available from 2025 and will be successively integrated into the Airbus A320, A330 and A350 families. Initial tests and pilot installations are already planned.
Background: Internet on airplanes – status quo and outlook
Many airlines already offer Internet on board, especially on long-haul flights. They mostly use geostationary Ka- or Ku-band satellites, from providers such as Inmarsat, Viasat or Intelsat. Although these systems enable messaging, surfing and occasionally even streaming, they have limitations in terms of bandwidth, latency and reliability.
The integration of LEO satellites, as in Project Kuiper, could solve these problems in the long term. Competitors such as Starlink (SpaceX) and OneWeb are also working on similar solutions for aviation.
A new era of on-board connectivity
The cooperation between Airbus and Amazon could set a new standard for in-flight internet. The combination of powerful satellite technology, open system architecture and flexible integration makes HBCplus a future-proof building block for the digitalization of air traffic. For passengers, this means fast, reliable and seamless surfing in the near future – even at an altitude of 10,000 meters.
