Turkish Airlines, AJet set to launch smooth in-flight internet service

Passengers flying with Turkish Airlines and its budget subsidiary AJet will soon be able to stay connected to the internet mid-flight through Turksat’s satellite-based services, General Manager Ahmet Hamdi Atalay announced on Saturday.

He said the system would first launch on AJet flights later this year before gradually expanding across the entire Turkish Airlines fleet.

Atalay shared these updates during the 9th National Management Information Systems (YBS) Summit in Ankara. Describing the project as both a technological and national milestone, Atalay emphasized that Turksat 6A—Türkiye’s first domestically produced communications satellite—was recently placed into service.

He noted that this achievement positioned Türkiye among a select group of countries capable of independently manufacturing and deploying their own satellites.

‘Turkish engineers possess world-class talents’

Atalay discussed the pace of technological advancement over the past four decades, noting that it had once been difficult to imagine today’s level of progress and that it is now increasingly challenging to predict developments even 40 years ahead.

He said humanity now has the processing power to manage large volumes of big data, with the amount of global data doubling approximately every 1.5 years and surpassing the cumulative total of all previous information generated in human history.

“Today, 178 zettabytes of data have been generated worldwide,” he said, adding that data represents both a significant asset and a potential risk if not properly managed.

Atalay also noted that data has become more valuable than traditional commodities such as gold and oil. He stated that artificial intelligence is expected to reach the processing capacity of the human brain by around 2050.

Addressing Türkiye’s engineering sector, Atalay said Turkish engineers possess strong capabilities.

“We have some of the best engineers in the world,” he said, emphasizing the need for greater discipline to achieve further success.