Elon Musk and Qatar Airways Group CEO discussed Starlink in a technology-enabled video call as the airline rolls out Starlink Wi-Fi onboard its flights. (Credit: Qatar Airways)
Qatar Airways debuted Starlink Wi-Fi on one of its aircraft earlier this week.
A Boeing 777 completed a long-distance flight from Doha to London on Tuesday, becoming the company's first to deploy satellite-based internet via Starlink from Elon Musk's SpaceX company.
“Starlink is now operational for the first time on a 777 and will soon be available to all passengers flying @QatarAirways!” Starlink said of the debut flight in a post on Tuesday's X .
In this photo illustration, the logo of Starlink, an American satellite internet constellation owned and operated by Elon Musk and a subsidiary of the aerospace company SpaceX, is displayed on a smartphone along with a graph of the economic stock index. (Budrul Chukrut/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images / Getty Images)
The airline said Qatar's first Starlink-equipped aircraft and flight is part of the airline's efforts to implement the technology across its fleet and make it available to passengers.
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The company said in a press release that it is “the largest and first airline in the MENA region to offer Starlink's ultra-fast, low-latency internet to its passengers.”
Other airlines such as United Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, Air France and Air New Zealand have also partnered with Starlink to offer in-flight Wi-Fi. Some cruise ships also use Starlink.
Musk and Qatar Airways Group CEO Badr Mohamed Almeer spoke about Starlink in a video call using the aircraft's Starlink Internet. Al Mehr was in the air with Qatar Tourism Chairman Saad bin Ali Al Khalji during the call. Qatar Airways provided footage of the call to FOX Business.
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SpaceX's CEO told them, “We'll find it.” [Starlink] As his company continues to improve its service, it gets better and better.
Boca Chica Beach, Texas – August 25: SpaceX founder Elon Musk during a joint event between T-Mobile and SpaceX on August 25, 2022 in Boca Chica Beach, Texas. Both companies announced plans to work together to provide T-Mobile cell phone service using Starlink (Photo by Michael Gonzalez/Getty Images/Getty Images)
Qatar Airways said Boeing 777s equipped with Starlink Wi-Fi will “operate on select routes as the airline moves forward with its rollout plans.” Passengers can use the service free of charge.
Starlink will be installed on 12 Qatar Airways Boeing 777-300s by the end of the year, up from the previous target of three, the airline announced.
Qatar Airways says its passengers will be able to use Starlink internet on all of its Boeing 777 aircraft in 2025. The company's Airbus A350 aircraft is scheduled to be introduced that summer.
According to the company's website, its commercial fleet includes Airbus models such as the A320, A350 and A380, and Boeing models such as the 777, 737 MAX and 787.
Hamburg, July 1, 2024: A Qatar Airways A350 has landed at Hamburg Airport after its maiden flight from Doha. In the future, Qatar Airways plans to operate daily flights between Hamburg and Qatar's capital Doha. Photo: Georg Wendt/dpa (Photo (Georg Wendt/Photo Alliance via Getty Images/Getty Images)
Qatar Airways first revealed plans to install Starlink internet on its aircraft at the end of May.
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“High-speed, low-latency internet is the future of aviation connectivity and we are excited to work with Qatar Airways to begin operating Starlink on their fleet by the end of this year,” said Vice President Starlink Engineering. Mike Nichols said at the press conference. time.
Starlink said the SpaceX subsidiary's satellite-based internet service is used by millions of people in more than 100 countries.
