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

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 Wi-Fi. In October 2024, we saw the first jet equipped with this service. The airline has now revealed that it’s moving forward the timeline with which this rollout will be completed, which is exciting.

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 expected:

• So far, Qatar Airways has installed Starlink Wi-Fi on 30 Boeing 777s, representing over half of the fleet
• The entire Qatar Airways Boeing 777 fleet will have Starlink Wi-Fi by the end of the second quarter of 2025
• The Qatar Airways Airbus A350 fleet will start to get Starlink Wi-Fi as of the summer of 2025

For context, the initial plan was for all 777s to get Starlink Wi-Fi by December 2025, while now that timeline has been moved up to June 2025. 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 development:

“We are delivering on our commitment to provide our passengers the best in-flight connectivity at an unprecedented pace. In just four months since launching the world’s first Boeing 777 Starlink-equipped flight, we have already installed this ground-breaking service on 30 aircraft—far exceeding our initial targets. This reflects the commendable efficiency and dedication of our team. Starlink Wi-Fi is a game-changer for our passengers who will soon enjoy uninterrupted connectivity on even more routes.”

Bottom line

Qatar Airways is making great progress with installing SpaceX’s 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 half of its 777s, and the plan is for all 777s to get the service by the end of the second quarter of 2025. After that, we should see A350s get this service.

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