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By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -United Airlines said on Monday that the Federal Aviation Administration has approved its first Starlink-equipped aircraft type and that the first commercial flight is planned for May.
United said the FAA issued a Supplemental Type Certificate for the Embraer 175 and the airline expects the first commercial flight to be onboard a United Express Embraer 175.
The Chicago-based airline plans to add the high-speed Wi-Fi technology to around 40 regional jets per month and expects all 300 planes of the type will be completed by the end of the year. United said it will work with Elon Musk's Starlink to secure FAA approval to install Starlink on more than 16 United aircraft models.
The FAA did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Starlink Wi-Fi service will eventually be available on all its flights, the airline said earlier this year, and will be free for MileagePlus members.
Last year, United signed a deal with Starlink to provide in-flight internet services across its entire fleet of over 1,000 aircraft over the next several years.
Starlink, a unit of SpaceX, has deals with multiple airlines to provide in-flight internet services as it seeks to expand its reach beyond consumers and households in rural areas around the world with little to no internet access.
The satellite-based internet services provider previously signed deals with Hawaiian Airlines and regional carrier JSX.
In Canada, which is embroiled in a tariff dispute with the United States, WestJet Airlines has faced complaints from some passengers on social media sites over a deal announced last summer to provide Wi-Fi access onboard through Musk's Starlink.
Musk has faced opposition directed at Starlink and to a greater extent at Tesla, due to his role overseeing massive layoffs and firings in moves to cut federal spending in the United States as an adviser to President Donald Trump.
Canada's second largest carrier said in a recent statement that it began activating its Wi-Fi service in March with plans to complete all installations and upgrades on its narrow-body fleet by the end of 2025, and on its wide-body jets by the end of 2026.
(Reporting by David Shepardson. Additional reporting by Allison Lampert; Editing by Franklin Paul and Bill Berkrot)
