Qatar Airways announced today that it operated the world’s first Starlink equipped Boeing 777 flight from Doha’s Hamad International Airport (DOH) to London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR). While there are other carriers have already rolled out Starlink connectivity in the United States, Qatar is the first carrier in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region to introduce the product.
The carrier initially planned to have three Boeing 777-300 aircraft equipped with Starlink by the end of 2024 but now states that twelve planes will be equipped by the end of the year. Qatar Airways’ Group Chief Executive Officer, Engr. Badr Mohammed Al-Meer, had this to say about the addition of Starlink:
“We are thrilled to launch our first Starlink-equipped flight, proving once again why Qatar Airways is at the forefront of the aviation industry. This milestone, paired with our commitment to rapidly roll-out Starlink across our entire modern fleet, demonstrates our relentless pursuit of offering passengers an in-flight experience that transcends the constraints of traditional air travel.”
Qatar Airways is expected to have all of its Boeing 777s retrofitted with the product sometime in 2025. Its Airbus A350 fleet will begin receiving Starlink connectivity sometime in Summer 2025. The airline did not state in its press release how long retrofits of the A350 fleet would take.
I would assume that the Boeing 777X will also be delivered with the product. Strangely, the airline didn’t mention Starlink connectivity being made available for its Boeing 787 fleet. For now, we’ll have to wait and see if they decide to upgrade those aircraft in the future.
The press release from the airline mentions a long list of “industry firsts” associated with the launch, though there are two that stood out to me. Today’s flight marked the first Starlink Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) for a Boeing aircraft and the largest plane equipped with the product to date.
While I still haven’t been on a Starlink equipped flight (JSX has its entire fleet equipped and United is in the process of doing the same), it has gotten rave reviews based on what I can tell from other travelers online.
Summary
Qatar Airways flew its first flight equipped with Starlink connectivity between Doha and London today. The carrier is planning to add the service to its Boeing 777 and Airbus A350 fleets over the next year. This should provide passengers traveling on those fleet types fast, high speed internet no matter where they’re flying. However, the Boeing 787 was left out of the release so there may still be some long-haul flights that won’t see this connectivity in the future.
(Images courtesy Qatar Airways)