Investing.com -- Delta Air Lines Inc. signed an agreement with Amazon.com Inc. to use its Leo satellite service for in-flight Wi-Fi, marking a significant customer win for the e-commerce company's space business as it competes with SpaceX's Starlink for aviation customers.

The service will be installed on 500 Delta aircraft beginning in 2028, the airline announced on Tuesday. Delta will start with domestic-focused, narrow-body planes from Boeing and Airbus.

Amazon Leo, which stands for low Earth orbit, will provide faster and more reliable internet to support streaming video and messaging onboard. Chris Weber, Amazon Leo's vice president, said the higher speeds come from its satellites being in orbit closer to Earth than some others.

"I think of the high-speed, reliable connectivity of the planes as foundation, and Delta will build some very unique experiences on top of that," Weber said.

Weber said Amazon Leo is focused on building out its satellite constellations and has about 200 satellites in orbit and hundreds more manufactured for launching.

Airlines have been adopting faster in-flight Wi-Fi and making the service free for loyalty program members as they compete for passengers. Some carriers are also looking to monetize their captive audience through personalized ads and potential shopping.

American Airlines is considering bringing back seat-back screens to its narrow-body fleet and would use either SpaceX's Starlink or Amazon Leo with Amazon Prime content, CNBC reported last week. A decision could come as early as next month.

SpaceX's Starlink network, which has more than 9,000 satellites in low-Earth orbit, has made inroads into the aviation market. United Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines have recently started using Starlink satellite Wi-Fi onboard. British Airways, Air France and Emirates are among the airlines that have agreed to use Starlink.

Before the Delta announcement, Amazon's only aviation customer for in-flight Wi-Fi was JetBlue Airways.