Qatar Airways Becomes the First Airline in the World to Operate a Starlink-Equipped Boeing 787-9

As digital technologies rapidly advance in aviation, Qatar Airways has become the first airline in the world to begin using Starlink on its wide-body Boeing 787-9 aircraft. According to Ixbt.com, the move marks an important milestone for the airline’s fleet, giving passengers access to high-speed internet in the sky just as they have on the ground. As Ixbt.com reports .

As part of the process, the company also completed the installation of Starlink on all of its Boeing 787-8 aircraft. This brought the total number of wide-body aircraft equipped with the technology to 150. The airline plans to continue its rollout and fully modernize all Boeing 787 aircraft by the end of 2026.

Record-Breaking Modernization Speed

Qatar Airways had previously equipped its Boeing 777 fleet with Starlink in a record time of just nine months, and its Airbus A350 aircraft in eight months. The carrier now operates the world’s largest Starlink-enabled fleet across its Boeing 777, Airbus A350 and Boeing 787 fleets. The wide-body aircraft installation program is already more than 83% complete.

The introduction of modern satellite internet allows passengers to communicate without restrictions, manage work tasks and watch content during flights. The free Wi-Fi network reportedly offers speeds of up to 500 Megabit per second. This enables everyone on board to fully meet their everyday digital needs.

Statistics and Daily Figures

Since the Starlink service officially launched on aircraft in October 2024, more than 23 million passengers have used the service. Aircraft equipped with the modern internet system have successfully completed more than 86,000 flights. The airline currently operates up to 323 Starlink-supported flights every day.