Norwegian Air does not plan to use Starlink Wi-Fi, CEO says

By Vera Dvorakova

Feb 13 (Reuters) - Norwegian Air Shuttle NAS.OL does not plan to bring Starlink's Wi-Fi onto its aircraft for now, as the budget airline offers a paid service from another vendor on its flights, CEO Geir Karlsen told Reuters on Friday.

Major airlines like Lufthansa LHAG.DE and Qatar Airways are becoming important customers for Starlink, but the product is less appealing to budget carriers that rely on ancillary services to compensate for low ticket prices.

"As far as I know, ... if you install Starlink, you're not able to ... charge for the use towards your passengers," Karlsen said.

He added Starlink was not certified for the Boeing 737 aircraft, although it will be in the future.

Ryanair RYA.I CEO Michael O'Leary last month publicly clashed with Elon Musk, whose company SpaceX operates Starlink, about the use of its services. O'Leary said that Starlink would cost the airline up to $250 million a year.

Another budget airline, EasyJet EZJ.L, said in January it was exploring a Starlink Wi-Fi deal, but "the economics" were not quite working for it.