Qatar Airways brings Starlink to the Boeing 787
Qatar Airways has reached a new milestone in the digital transformation of the inflight experience, becoming the first airline in the world to certify and operate Starlink connectivity on the Boeing 787. This achievement further strengthens the carrier’s leadership in onboard connectivity on long-haul and ultra-long-haul routes.
The move follows an implementation program unmatched in both speed and scale. In just over a year, the airline completed Starlink installations across its Boeing 777 fleet and then across its entire Airbus A350 fleet, before extending the service to the Dreamliner family. The A350 rollout alone was completed in only eight months, setting a global record.
Today, nearly 120 widebody aircraft in the Qatar Airways fleet are equipped with Starlink, representing more than half of the airline’s long-haul fleet. Passengers can access inflight internet speeds of up to 500 Mbps, enabling uninterrupted streaming, video calls and real-time productivity, often outperforming many home broadband connections.
The impact of this strategy is already reflected in passenger figures. Since the launch of free gate-to-gate Wi-Fi in October 2024, more than 11 million travelers have used the service. In 2025 alone, Starlink connected just over 21 million passengers worldwide, with almost half of them flying on Qatar Airways aircraft, many experiencing high-speed connectivity on intercontinental routes for the first time.
La connettività non migliora soltanto l’esperienza dei passeggeri, ma sta trasformando anche il modo in cui la compagnia opera. Equipaggi sempre connessi ricevono aggiornamenti operativi in tempo reale, il coordinamento con i team di terra diventa più efficace durante situazioni critiche e gli ingegneri possono monitorare i sistemi di bordo mentre l’aereo è ancora in volo, riducendo tempi e complessità una volta a terra.
This latest step reinforces Qatar Airways’ position as a global benchmark for aviation innovation. The airline was named World’s Best Airline for the ninth time in 2025 by Skytrax, confirming a long-term strategy focused on combining a modern fleet, advanced technology and premium service quality.
As Starlink connectivity continues to expand across more routes to the Americas, Australia, Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East, Qatar Airways is not simply offering inflight Wi-Fi. It is redefining expectations of what it means to stay connected while flying long-haul.
