Qatar Airways Starlink: 150 widebody aircraft now have free Wi-Fi

Dubai: Qatar Airways is on track to complete its Starlink rollout across its Boeing 787 fleet by the end of 2026, after equipping more than half of its aircraft with the high-speed satellite Wi-Fi service.

The Doha-based airline has now fitted 150 widebody aircraft with Starlink, including the world’s first Starlink-equipped Boeing 787-9. It has also completed the rollout across its Boeing 787-8 fleet in seven months.

Qatar Airways said it now operates the world’s first and largest Starlink-equipped fleets of the Boeing 777, Airbus A350 and Boeing 787.

The airline has previously completed Starlink installations across its Boeing 777 fleet in nine months and its Airbus A350 fleet in eight months.

The Boeing 787 programme is now more than 83 per cent complete, with the airline still targeting completion by the end of 2026.

Starlink-equipped aircraft can provide Wi-Fi speeds of up to 500 Mbps, allowing passengers to work, communicate, stream content or browse the internet while in the air.

Qatar Airways was the first airline to offer Starlink on long-haul and ultra-long-haul routes across six continents.

The service is available free of charge, with passengers able to access Starlink throughout their journey through Privilege Club membership authentication or enrolment.

However, gate-to-gate access may not be available at certain airports because of local regulatory requirements.

23m passengers

The scale of the rollout is already being reflected in passenger usage.

Since Qatar Airways launched Starlink connectivity in October 2024, more than 23 million passengers have connected to the service across more than 86,000 Qatar Airways flights.

The airline currently operates up to 323 Starlink-equipped flights each day, according to the company. The latest rollout makes Qatar Airways the first airline globally to operate a Starlink-equipped Boeing 787-9.

The carrier said the achievement builds on its wider strategy to make high-speed connectivity a standard part of its long-haul passenger experience.