Qatar Airways has made aviation history by becoming the first airline to deploy Starlink satellite internet on Boeing 787-8 aircraft. Today, the carrier operates three such jets equipped with high-speed connectivity, while the total number of wide-body aircraft fitted with Starlink is approaching 120. This enables Qatar Airways to top the ranking of operators with the world’s largest fleet of long-haul aircraft connected to SpaceX’s system.

The project has been implemented at an impressive pace. In December 2025, the airline completed the installation of Starlink across its entire Airbus A350 fleet in just eight months — a timeframe unprecedented for such initiatives. In total, Starlink was installed on Boeing 777 and Airbus A350 aircraft within 14 months, after which the program was extended to Boeing 787 jets. This represents the fastest and most large-scale deployment of satellite internet on wide-body aircraft in the history of civil aviation.

Currently, more than 58% of the Qatar Airways fleet provides passengers with internet speeds of up to 500 Mbps. Since October 2024, over 11 million passengers have used the free onboard connectivity. In 2025, nearly half of the 21 million passengers worldwide who had access to Starlink flew on Qatar Airways flights.

ORIENT