Qatar leading the Starlink wi-fi race & adds A350

Qatar Airways has become the first airline to fly a Boeing 787-8 with Starlink. It has three Dreamliners with the fastest wi-fi in the sky.

The airline has also equipped its entire Airbus A350 fleet with Starlink — and it did it within eight months.

That brings its Starlink-connected widebody aircraft to nearly 120 planes.

Aircraft connected to the Starlink satellite network have fast wi-fi — fast enough for streaming, video calls and gaming. Downloads are from 135-310 Mbps or more.

An insider at Qatar Airways says the airline is undertaking the fastest and most ambitious Starlink widebody rollout in aviation history: “Within just 14 months, Qatar Airways started and completed the Boeing 777 and Airbus A350 Starlink installation programs, and then expanded to its Boeing 787 Dreamliners.

“This progress cements the airline’s position as the global leader in Starlink-enabled long-haul and ultra-long-haul connectivity while also achieving the world’s first and largest Starlink-equipped A350 fleet.”

More than 11 million passengers have had free, gate-to-gate wi-fi on board since the airline launched the service in October 2024.

The spokesperson says: “In 2025, Starlink connected over 21 million passengers across global airlines. Qatar Airways’ Starlink-connected passengers comprise nearly half of that, with over 10 million passengers being the first in the world to enjoy the complimentary service onboard widebody aircraft across long- and ultra-long-haul routes operated by the airline.”