Qatar Airways Starlink WiFi

Qatar Airways was one of the first major international carriers to commit to Starlink Aviation, announcing its partnership in March 2024 — six months before United Airlines and well ahead of its Gulf rivals. The carrier has equipped roughly 120 aircraft from a fleet of 250, making it the largest Starlink deployment outside North America and the leading example of high-speed satellite connectivity on long-haul widebody operations. The rollout has prioritised the wide-body backbone that defines Qatar's network. The Boeing 777-300ER fleet leads at 23 of 57 airframes equipped, followed by the Airbus A350-900 at 18 of 34, with installations now reaching deeper into the Boeing 787-8, A350-1000 and 787-9 fleets. The Airbus A380s are progressing too, at five of eight equipped. The narrow-body Airbus A320 fleet — used on regional Gulf services — sits at 16 of 27 aircraft, an unusually high coverage rate that means even short hops from Doha to Dubai, Bahrain or Kuwait stand a strong chance of carrying the new connectivity. A350-1000 and 787-9 installations are expected to continue through 2026 toward full widebody coverage by year end. For passengers, Qatar offers Starlink under its Oryx One inflight ecosystem rather than as a free amenity — pricing varies by route and is published on qatarairways.com — but the experience itself is consistently rated among the best in the industry, with reported speeds frequently above 50 Mbps. There is no business-class gating: Qsuite passengers, premium economy and economy share the same antenna and the same network. The Starlink fitment is visible as the flat rectangular panel near the top of the fuselage forward of the wing.