In October 2023, Qatar Airways made an exciting announcement when it comes to inflight Wi-Fi, as the oneworld carrier revealed it would introduce Starlink connectivity. In October 2024, we saw the first jet equipped with this service. The airline has now revealed an exciting update regarding the rollout of this service, so let’s cover the details.
In this post:
Qatar Airways offering 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, with other airlines including airBaltic, Air France, Air New Zealand, Hawaiian Airlines, Scandinavian Airlines, United Airlines, and WestJet.
In October 2024, Qatar Airways’ first aircraft was 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.
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
Qatar Airways has revealed an updated timeline for the introduction of free Starlink Wi-Fi, and it’s much better than was initially planned:
- Qatar Airways has installed Starlink Wi-Fi on over 80% of its Boeing 777s, and the 777 project is expected to be complete in the coming weeks
- Qatar Airways plans to shortly start installing Wi-Fi on its Airbus A350s, with the first A350 expected to get the service as of this month (April 2025)
For context, the initial plan was for all 777s to get Starlink Wi-Fi by December 2025, and for A350s to get Starlink after that. So the process is way ahead of schedule, which is awesome. That’s impressive, and shows how quick the installation process can be, once planes are certified to get the service.
It remains to be seen when the carrier’s other aircraft types, including the 787 and A380, will start to get Starlink (it’s tricky on 787s, since the carbon fiber fuselage makes certification more complicated). However, it makes sense that the 777 and A350 are the priority, since these planes fly the longest routes.
Here’s how Qatar Airways CEO Badr Mohammed Al Meer described this latest development:
“We are just a few aircraft away from completing a full fleet-wide upgrade of our Boeing 777s with Starlink connectivity — an industry-first for a widebody fleet of this scale. In April, we will become the first airline in the world to begin equipping the Airbus A350 with Starlink, taking another bold step in our journey of redefining connectivity in the skies. We affirm our continual efforts to enhance our onboard WiFi experience, ensuring passengers enjoy greater comfort, convenience, and service.”
Bottom line
Qatar Airways is making great progress with installing Starlink Wi-Fi. Not only are we starting to see Starlink Wi-Fi available on Qatar Airways on a widespread basis, but it’s also complimentary. This is a very nice competitive advantage for Qatar Airways.
The carrier now has Starlink Wi-Fi on over 80% of its 777s, and that project is expected to be complete in the coming weeks. Also as of this month, Qatar Airways plans to install Starlink on its first A350, which is also well ahead of schedule.
What do you make of Qatar Airways introducing free Starlink Wi-Fi?
Use the best WiFi in the sky to distract you from the fact that a quarter of their 777s still have 20 year old 2x2x2 business class seats and not the Q suites they advertised
Let’s hope all the snowflakes suffering from MDS stay true to their words and never use Starlink.
i just went SEA>Doha and back with 777s. the starlink is the fastest and more reliable airline wifi ever. i'm not fan of musk and hope amazon's competing offering is better but make no mistake - this shit works & well.
and free.
Another airline to add to the boycott list for partnering with a company owned by a fascist.
So, you’re going to boycott Qatar airlines because “orange man bad” instead of for the atrocious human rights violations committed by the Qatar government? Makes sense to me, what’s your problem…?
So you’re boycotting QR because “orange man bad”, but not at all because of the atrocious human rights violations committed by the Qatar government. Makes sense to me, what’s your problem..?
Two identical responses (not one word of difference) from different usernames.
Case in point for Trump supporters and Zionists being bots and not humans.
Tried this on a recent Qatar trip, and it was awesome. Every airline should strive for this — you can actually get real work done from the plane now.
Really hope the Qatar 787-8 also gets the upgrade. The current offering is close to useless — you get something like a 30 MB “fair use” limit even with a paid package.
If Starlink is 5G, then the Wi-Fi on the 787 isn’t even dial-up… it’s somewhere between early telegraph and smoke signals.
I wonder if we'll see AA or Delta announce a launch for the Bezos' blue Origin rival to Starlink. Seems like it would be a great time to do it and replace their own wifi offerings in the coming years as the satellite coverage improves.
Whether you like Elon Musk or not, he's become polarizing.
Why would a 787 WiFi refurb be more difficult than an A350 WiFi refurb given they're carbon-fiber fuselage?
I'm waiting with you for an answer to this question.
Ben repeatedly talks about the challenge getting Starlink onto the 787 but you have to wonder the reality is that the 787 and A350 are each over 50% carbon fiber construction although the two aircraft are constructed differently - the 787 is made from huge carbon fiber barrels while the A350 is carbon fiber panels that are attached to a frame.
QR seems to be the only airline outside the Western world to be installing Starlink. As pointed out in the recent Riyadh Air article, RX might have picked Viasat over Starlink due to the latter’s not being supported over Russia and China.
Is QR confident that its flights overflying Russia and China will not be affected by Starlink outages, or does it intend to send Starlink-equipped 777s and A350s only to those destinations which won’t...
QR seems to be the only airline outside the Western world to be installing Starlink. As pointed out in the recent Riyadh Air article, RX might have picked Viasat over Starlink due to the latter’s not being supported over Russia and China.
Is QR confident that its flights overflying Russia and China will not be affected by Starlink outages, or does it intend to send Starlink-equipped 777s and A350s only to those destinations which won’t be affected by this?
Regardless, it’s a big advantage for QR over EK, EY, RX and the others.
It won't make much of a difference in a few years time when Starlink becomes part of a company that is domiciled in a country that is part of Russia.
Yes, since Saudi Arabia is known for their morality and lack of corruption. We should definitely listen to what a Saudi-owned airline is doing.
Is this Flyboy or Scotty Doesn’t Know commenting about Saudi Arabia and defending Elon?