Valour Consultancy’s new report, Starlink Aviation: Deep Dive – 2025, indicates that the satellite operator’s low-earth orbit (LEO) inflight connectivity (IFC) service will be available aboard more than 10,000 aircraft by the end of 2034.
The study offers insights into drivers, inhibitors, technology trends and the competitive environment of the IFC market as well as analysis of Starlink’s product.
Transforming the IFC industry, Starlink was the first high-bandwidth LEO satcom product on the market in 2022.
Initially, few major airlines adopted it but Air France, Qatar Airways, United Airlines and WestJet now use Starlink and SAS Scandinavian Airlines was added in 2025.
So far, Starlink has secured contracts for over 2,000 commercial aircraft.
“Starlink’s success in beating rival LEO networks to market has given the satellite operator a huge opportunity to take advantage of a vast addressable market of aircraft”, according to David Whelan, Senior Analyst at Valour Consultancy and the author of the report.
The ability to install its antenna within eight to 10 hours and rapidly deploy its product has been a strength for Starlink, which is ahead of schedule fleetwide deployments for United Airlines and Qatar Airways.
Certification has been achieved on the 737-800, A220, and the E175.
Competition is coming from multi-orbit services. Intelsat’s multi-orbit service is now operational. Panasonic Avionics and Hughes Network Systems are expected to follow this year.
“There will certainly be a role in the market for multi-orbit services, particularly for airlines which operate routes which Starlink may find difficult to serve because of regulatory challenges,” observed Whelan.
Valour Consultancy predicts that Starlink will acquire a 39% market share of the commercial aviation market by 2034. That represents more than 7,000 aircraft.
Its growth in the business aviation market will be more gradual, due to Starlink’s focus on larger aircraft and the fragmented nature of the market. Yet it is forecast to serve more than 3,000 private jets by 2034.
