Qantas to switch on free Wi-Fi on international flight

Qantas will introduce Wi-Fi on flights to Asia by the end of this month as the airline strives to catch up with its competitors, which already keep travelers connected above the clouds.

• First to come online will be the Airbus A330 jets which mainly fly into South-East Asia, with selected routes active by late March.
• Satellite coverage across the Tasman to New Zealand will become available from mid-year.

Most of Qantas' domestic fleet – including Boeing 737s, Airbus A220s and A330s – are already equipped for the Australian NBN Sky Muster satellite network, with a nation-wide coverage footprint. So, whenever those planes are assigned to international routes the SkyMuster system provides Wi-Fi only while the aircraft are over Australia; once your flight leaves the Australian coastline behind, you can wave goodbye to Wi-Fi.

Qantas is now in the process of upgrading this sky-high Wi-Fi service through its partner Viasat, to tap into what Viasat describes as “capacity from various owned and partner satellites in the region.”

This will serve as a stop-gap measure until the ViaSat-3 F3 satellite comes online in early 2026, completing a global constellation which is already delivering upwards of 100Mbps to individual passengers on the initial Americas-focused F1 bird – and “we are anticipating even better performance with F2 and F3,” the company says.

Once the Viasat kit has been installed and activated across the international A330, the Qantas 787s and A380 superjumbos will follow.

In addition, the nimble Airbus A220s already work with Australian NBN and international Viasat satellites, switching between networks depending on where the aircraft is flying – which will be put to the test when the A220 begins flying to Singapore in October 2025.

The Airbus A350s intended for non-stop flights from Sydney and Melbourne to London and New York will come with ViaSat-3 tech already installed; the same will apply to the A350s and 787s replacing the aging A330s from 2027-2028.

Air New Zealand, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Malaysia Airlines and Singapore Airline all offer free Wi-Fi to varying degrees.

Jetstar will also introduce onboard Wi-Fi on its international 787 fleet from 2026, as part of a refresh which will include new business and economy seats.