KUALA LUMPUR, July 14 — Qatar Airways has completed its deployment of Starlink satellite connectivity across its entire Boeing 777 fleet and it claims to be the first airline to globally operate over 50 widebody aircraft with the high-speed satellite service.

With Starlink service on board, passengers can enjoy complimentary, gate-to-gate WiFi with speeds of up to 500Mbps.

According to the airline, the Starlink rollout was completed ahead of schedule in just 9 months without any disruption to its airline operations. It added that it remains the leader in in-flight innovation and the only Middle East and North Africa (MENA) carrier to offer Starlink connectivity.

The Starlink installation on 54 Boeing 777 aircraft was originally scheduled as a two-year programme and Qatar Airways was able to complete it nearly 50 per cent faster than planned. It shared that the retrofit time was reduced from 3 days to just 9.5 hours per aircraft, enabling the airline to complete the rollout without disruption to operations.

With the upgraded satellite connectivity, passengers in both Premium and Economy cabins can enjoy free, gate-to-gate WiFi speeds of up to 500Mbps per aircraft. It added that passengers can stream, game and work with fast and reliable connection that’s comparable, if not better, to their experience at home

Following its completed rollout for its Boeing 777 fleet, Qatar Airways is now focusing on equipping its Airbus A350 fleet with Starlink and it aims to complete it within the next year.

For Qatar Airways aircraft without Starlink connectivity, satellite-enabled in-flight WiFi is still available as an optional purchase. Privilege Club members can enjoy one-hour of complimentary on-board WiFi while Student Club members can get unlimited WiFi access throughout the flight.

In October 2024, Qatar Airways launched the world’s first Starlink-equipped Boeing 777 and it has operated over 15,000 Starlink-connected flights.

Besides Qatar Airways, Starlink-enabled in-flight WiFi service is also available on other airlines such as Hawaiian Airlines, United Airlines and AirBaltic. — SoyaCincau