Under the deal, the companies are in the initial stages of
implementation and the wireless internet is expected to be installed on select
aircraft next year, Hawaiian said.
Starlink, a unit of SpaceX, has been in talks with various
airlines for months to provide the in-flight internet service as it seeks to
expand its reach beyond consumers and households in rural areas of the globe
with little to no internet access.
Hawaiian said it will equip its Airbus A330 and A321neo
aircraft, as well as an incoming fleet of Boeing 787-9s with Starlink's
satellite internet connectivity service.
Starlink signed its first deal with an air carrier,
semi-private jet service JSX, last week and it involves equipping 100 airplanes
with Starlink terminals.
Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported that Delta Air
Lines has held talks with Starlink and had conducted exploratory tests of its
technology.
SpaceX has sought regulatory approval from the US Federal
Communications Commission to operate Starlink on airplanes and shipping vessels
and had previously tested the internet network on a handful of Gulfstream jets,
as well as military aircraft.
Hawaiian said it is not currently planning to deploy the
service on its Boeing 717 aircraft that operate short flights between the
Hawaiian Islands. © Reuters