Elon Musk's Starlink signed a deal with Hawaiian Airlines Inc. Monday to provide the carrier's trans-Pacific fleet with in-flight wireless internet, the airline said.

Service in 2023

The wireless internet is expected to be installed on select aircraft next year, Hawaiian said adding that both the companies are in the initial stages of implementing the service.

The carrier will equip its Airbus A330 and A321neo aircraft, as well as an incoming fleet of Boeing 787-9s with Starlink's satellite internet connectivity service, it added.

Hawaiian said it is not currently planning to deploy the service on its Boeing 717 aircraft that operate short flights between the Hawaiian Islands.

Delta Tests Starlink

Delta Air Lines is testing Starlink (STARL-USD), to offer quality Internet connection on its flights, Delta CEO Ed Bastian tells The Wall Street Journal. Starlink parent company SpaceX (SPACEXDOGE-USD) declined comment.

Customer demand for reliable, high-speed WiFi, regarless of a plane's altitude, has been increasing over the years and is projected to serve as many as 20,000 aircraft by 2030, according to satellite consultancy Euroconsult.

"A lot of airlines want to offer streaming-quality services" that do not require heavy, expensive antennas to be installed on their planes, Dave Bijur, SVP for commercial aviation at Intelsat SA, a Starlink competitor, tells WSJ.