Netflix, YouTube, work: what Starlink will change on board Royal Air Maroc

The agreement between Royal Air Maroc and Starlink is expected to allow the gradual installation of the system across the entire fleet of the Moroccan airline by 2027. But for passengers, the real question now is what this technology will actually make possible at an altitude of 10,000 meters.

On paper, the change is considerable. Starlink advertises typical download speeds of 135 to 310 Mb/s for its aviation service, upload speeds of 20 to 44 Mb/s and latency generally below 99 milliseconds. The company says its system can simultaneously support 4K streaming, video conferences, VPN connections and collaborative online work.

This technology would complement the upgrading of Royal Air Maroc, which had already announced its intention to roll out Wi-Fi on board as part of its digital transformation.

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Qatar Airways currently provides the best insight into what future RAM passengers might experience. The airline began using Starlink in October 2024 and, in August 2026, had 150 equipped wide-body aircraft and more than 23 million passengers who had used the service. It announces speeds of up to 500 Mb/s. However, be warned: this figure corresponds to the announced capacity per aircraft, not to 500 Mb/s guaranteed to each traveler, Qatar Airways specifies.

Tests conducted in real-world conditions nevertheless produced impressive results. During a Qatar Airways flight between France and Qatar, we observed speeds of up to 200 Mb/s. We were able to work and normally use bandwidth-intensive services during the flight.

Speed should no longer be the problem

United Airlines took the experience even further by filling a Boeing 737 with journalists and content creators equipped with several devices. Even before takeoff, despite downloads, file uploads, online gaming, streaming and other simultaneous uses, the connection averaged around 150 Mb/s. During periods of heaviest demand, it occasionally fell to around 50 Mb/s.

Even this latter figure remains more than sufficient for most uses. airBaltic, which also offers Starlink, estimates that around 5 Mb/s is enough for browsing the Internet and social networks, 6 Mb/s for a video call or certain online games, and up to 25 Mb/s for watching a video in 4K. The airline announces speeds of up to 250 Mb/s aboard its equipped aircraft.

For a Royal Air Maroc traveler, this means sending videos on WhatsApp, watching YouTube or a streaming series, using cloud services or working with a VPN should no longer resemble the slow Wi-Fi traditionally associated with aircraft. Video calls are technically possible, even though their use may be limited by the rules imposed on board by airlines.

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One major unknown nevertheless remains: the price. RAM has not yet specified whether Starlink will be free, reserved for certain classes or linked to the Safar Flyer program. Its competitors are already setting the tone. airBaltic offers its service to passengers. Air France also offers its Starlink Wi-Fi free of charge in all cabins to travelers with a Flying Blue account, while Qatar Airways, which we were able to test, offered it free of charge to all passengers. All it took was creating an online account and logging in.

The question is therefore likely to become important as Royal Air Maroc expands its fleet and develops its international routes. With Starlink, the technical ability to watch Netflix or YouTube and work almost normally in the sky already appears to have been demonstrated. What remains to be seen is under what conditions RAM will allow its passengers to benefit from it.