Qatar Airways has reached another global milestone by becoming the first airline to activate Starlink connectivity on the Boeing 787-8, further extending its leadership in next-generation in-flight connectivity. The carrier has also completed the installation of Starlink across its entire Airbus A350 fleet in just eight months, concluding the programme in December 2025. With three Dreamliners now flying with Starlink, the airline operates nearly 120 widebody aircraft equipped with the high-speed service.
The rollout represents the fastest and most extensive Starlink deployment on widebody aircraft in aviation history. Within a span of just 14 months, Qatar Airways launched and completed Starlink installations on its Boeing 777 and Airbus A350 fleets before expanding the technology to its Boeing 787 Dreamliners. This rapid progress has positioned the airline as the global leader in long-haul and ultra-long-haul Starlink connectivity, while also establishing the world’s first and largest Starlink-equipped Airbus A350 fleet. The achievement builds on Qatar Airways’ long-standing association with the aircraft, having been the A350’s global launch customer.
Recognised as the World’s Best Airline by Skytrax for the ninth time in 2025, Qatar Airways is also the first carrier worldwide to secure Starlink certification for the Boeing 787-8. Since the service was introduced in October 2024, more than 11m passengers have already experienced complimentary, gate-to-gate high-speed Wi-Fi onboard the airline’s aircraft.
Starlink usage across global airlines connected more than 21m passengers in 2025, with Qatar Airways accounting for nearly half of that total. Over 10m of the airline’s passengers were among the first globally to enjoy free Starlink connectivity on widebody aircraft operating long-haul and ultra-long-haul routes.
Today, almost 120 widebody aircraft—representing more than 58% of Qatar Airways’ widebody fleet, including Airbus A350s, Boeing 777s and Boeing 787s—offer ultra-high-speed connectivity of up to 500 Mbps. The service enables uninterrupted streaming, video calls and real-time productivity, often exceeding typical home broadband performance. Starlink is now available on a growing number of routes, covering most destinations in the Americas and Australia, as well as key routes across Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East.
Beyond enhancing the passenger experience, Starlink is also transforming Qatar Airways’ operational efficiency. Real-time connectivity allows instant delivery of flight and roster updates to crew devices, improves coordination between cabin crew and ground teams during service or medical situations, and enables engineers to monitor inflight entertainment systems mid-flight to prepare solutions ahead of landing.
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