On Sept. 15 it became the first full-service carrier in East Asia to offer the service, according to The Straits Times, following budget carrier ZIPAIR Toky's introduction of Starlink Wi-Fi earlier this year.

Yonhap News Agency described the launch as an initial step in the airline's broader fleet modernization ahead of its planned integration with fellow South Korean carrier Asiana Airlines.

The service is initially available on four newly retrofitted widebody aircraft flying to the Americas, Europe, and Southeast Asia and on some key short-haul routes.

The Wi-Fi is available free of charge in all cabin classes.

A Korean Air plane on the ground. Photo by Reuters

The Straits Times said passengers can connect by switching their devices to airplane mode, joining the onboard network and entering the name shown on their boarding pass and their seat number.

The speed is good enough to stream video and music, browse the web, play online games, and use cloud-based collaboration tools at speeds close to those available on the ground.

But Korean Air does not allow voice or video calls or live social media streaming, citing security and cabin comfort, and access to insecure or illegal websites is also blocked.

Aircraft not yet been fitted with Starlink equipment will continue to offer Korean Air's existing paid Wi-Fi service during the transition. Yonhap reported that the plan is to have the Starlink service in the majority of aircraft by 2027.

Asiana Airlines will also introduce free Starlink-powered Wi-Fi on selected flights. Yonhap said Asiana plans to begin with nine Airbus A350-900s and one A330-300 before gradually expanding the service across its fleet.

Elsewhere in the region, ZIPAIR Tokyo, a budget carrier affiliated with Japan Airlines, became the first in Asia to adopt Starlink, launching Starlink-equipped flights in February, Nikkei Asia reported.

In May, Singapore Airlines said it plans to introduce the service starting in 2027.