Qantas international passengers will soon be able to stay connected in the sky with free Wi-Fi.
The Australian airline has committed to start rolling out its ‘fast and free’ Wi-Fi to its international services later this year.
Wi-Fi services launched on major domestic routes in 2016, but it took almost 10 years for Qantas to introduce the popular feature on its long-haul flights – something many of its competitors have already done.
Travelers heading to Asia will be the first to connect, followed by trans-Tasman and Pacific flights and finally European routes in the second half of 2026.
Qantas chief product and services officer Phil Capps said the introduction of the feature was delayed while the airline searched for a quality global broadband service, which it has now found in Viasat.
Qantas will soon offer free Wi-Fi on international routes, something many of its competitors have already done
The new Wi-Fi technology (pictured) will go live on Qantas international flights later this year.
The partnership means free and fast Wi-Fi will be possible on all Qantas routes, including those flying to Antarctica to reach South Africa.
“We’ve set a really strong benchmark with our national Wi-Fi offering,” Mister capps said The Australian.
“We didn’t want to go out strong with international Wi-Fi until we were sure we could hit a comparable benchmark.”
Viasat had an $11.34 billion merger with British satellite company Inmarsat last year that allowed the service to offer Qantas uninterrupted broadband on all routes.
Qantas’ A380 planes were also more difficult to retrofit with new Wi-Fi technology than its new Boeing 787 Dreamliners, further delaying its international plans.
Capps explained that engineers “basically cut a hole in the roof of the plane to install” the Wi-Fi equipment, a task made more difficult due to the A380’s limited infrastructure.
The new A350 and B787 fleets will have Wi-Fi capability as soon as they are delivered to Qantas.
Travelers heading to Asia will be the first to connect, followed by trans-Tasman and Pacific flights and finally European routes in the second half of 2026.
Qantas executive manager of products and services Phil Capps said the new aircraft being delivered to Qantas will come with Wi-Fi technology.
“We’ve seen that Wi-Fi for our customers on domestic flights is simply part of their daily lives, so it’s a critical expectation that it’s there and that they use it in a variety of ways.”
Airline data found that 38 percent of customers use in-flight Wi-Fi to browse the web, at least a quarter stream video, and 15 to 20 percent stream audio.
“The basic expectation of travelers in Australia is to be connected throughout the day, and we can see that in our usage,” Mr Capps said.
Viasat vice president of commercial aviation Don Buchman said his company is “excited to partner with Qantas.”