Qatar Airways’ Free Starlink Wi-Fi: Rollout Schedule Revealed

In October 2023, Qatar Airways made an exciting announcement when it comes to inflight Wi-Fi, as the oneworld carrier announced it would introduce Starlink Wi-Fi. However, at the time, details were limited. There’s now a major update, as the first jet has been equipped with the service, and we now have a sense of the rollout schedule.

Qatar Airways will offer free high speed Wi-Fi

Qatar Airways is in the process of introducing free Starlink Wi-Fi, making this one of the largest airlines in the world to collaborate with SpaceX on Wi-Fi. Not only will Starlink offer speeds of up to 500 megabits per second for gaming, VPN access, sports streaming, and more, but Qatar Airways intends to offer this Wi-Fi on a complimentary basis, with one-click access.

Qatar Airways is one of several airlines that’s working with Starlink on inflight connectivity. It’s also available on carriers like Hawaiian Airlines, and will soon be available on airBaltic, Air New Zealand, United Airlines, and WestJet.

The airline has announced that its first aircraft has just been equipped with the new inflight connectivity, and the press release was even uploaded from 35,000 feet, using the Starlink inflight Wi-Fi. Below is a video call that Qatar Airways’ CEO made with Elon Musk during this first flight, on October 22, 2024.

Here’s how Qatar Airways CEO Badr Mohammed Al Meer describes this development:

“We are thrilled to launch our first Starlink-equipped flight, proving once again why Qatar Airways is at the forefront of the aviation industry. This milestone, paired with our commitment to rapidly roll-out Starlink across our entire modern fleet, demonstrates our relentless pursuit of offering passengers an in-flight experience that transcends the constraints of traditional air travel. By providing Starlink reliable, seamless internet on board, we are connecting people to the things they love the most even at 35,000 feet, making every journey with us a memorable one.”

For context, Qatar Airways’ fleet is otherwise primarily outfitted with Inmarsat’s GX aviation technology, which the airline refers to as “Super Wi-Fi.” This typically costs $10 for a flight, with no data caps. Some of Qatar Airways’ other aircraft have OnAir Wi-Fi, which is quite slow.

Qatar Airways’ Starlink Wi-Fi rollout schedule

Up until now, we’ve known little about the rollout schedule for Starlink Wi-Fi on Qatar Airways, though that has finally changed. The good news is that this project is happening ahead of the initial schedule:

• Qatar Airways will have 12 Boeing 777-300ERs with Starlink Wi-Fi by the end of 2024
• The entire Qatar Airways 777 fleet will have Starlink Wi-Fi by the end of 2025
• The Airbus A350 fleet will start to get Starlink Wi-Fi as of the summer of 2025

It’s exciting to think that Starlink Wi-Fi could be installed so quickly. On the one hand, that seems like an ambitious timeline, given the variety of aircraft that Qatar Airways flies, and each jet requires a different certification. On the other hand, installing Starlink is one of the easier aircraft projects out there, and it helps when the government owns the airline and does the certifying. 😉

It remains to be seen when the carrier’s other aircraft types, including the 787 and A380, will start to get Starlink. However, it makes sense that the 777 and A350 are the priority, since these planes fly the longest routes.

Bottom line

Qatar Airways has started the process of introducing SpaceX’s Starlink Wi-Fi. Not only should this mean we’ll see some very high speed Wi-Fi, but Qatar Airways also intends to offer this on a complimentary basis. This will be a very nice competitive advantage for Qatar Airways.

The carrier’s first 777 has now been fitted with Starlink, with plans for a dozen of these jets to be reconfigured by the end of 2024. The plan is then for all 777s and A350s to get Starlink in 2025.

What do you make of Qatar Airways introducing free Starlink Wi-Fi?