Finnair has chosen SES to provide Wi-Fi on its 18 new Embraer E195-E2 aircraft, which are due to begin joining the fleet in the third quarter of 2027. The airline announced the agreement on November 2 for aircraft intended to operate European flights.
When does the new service start?
This is a future fleet programme. SES expects the first connected aircraft to enter service in 2027; the announcement does not mean the new system is available on today’s Finnair departures.
Finnair chief customer officer Simon Large said the aim is to let passengers communicate, stream and work online. Those are the airline’s intended uses, rather than a published guarantee of a particular download speed or performance on every flight.
How the connection will work
SES says the equipment will be fitted at Embraer during aircraft production. An electronically steered antenna will connect to a network combining SES’s geostationary satellites with low-Earth-orbit capacity supplied by Eutelsat’s OneWeb.
What passengers should check
The releases do not specify passenger Wi-Fi prices or a route-by-route launch timetable. Travellers booking 2027 flights should check the operating aircraft and the connectivity offer closer to departure, as the new jets enter service.
For a separate current service, see our Finnair Melbourne and Bangkok stopover guide.
Sources: Finnair’s November 2 announcement and SES’s technical announcement. SES’s page header shows November 1, while its release dateline and Finnair’s announcement say November 2.
