With Elon Musk accompanying President Trump for his first post-inauguration overseas trip with a tour of the Middle East, is it any surprise that it has let slip that Emirates, the largest international airline in the world, is in secret talks with Musk’s Starlink internet service?
According to sources cited by Bloomberg, the Dubai-based carrier is currently negotiating a deal to install Starlink’s ultra-fast inflight Wi-Fi service across its massive fleet of more than 260 aircraft, but there are a couple of major issues that the airline will need to overcome.
The first problem, and probably the most significant, is the fact that Emirates is the world’s largest operator of the Airbus A380 superjumbo, with 116 of the jets currently in operation, representing more than two-fifths of the airline’s fleet.
Unfortunately, Starlink isn’t certified for use on the double-deck A380, and there’s no timeline for when the fast-growing satellite internet provider might obtain that crucial certification.
But that’s the only problem, because Starlink isn’t even yet authorized for use in the United Arab Emirates where, of course, Emirates is based. To make matters worse, Starlink remains banned in China and Russia, which are two important markets for the government-owned airline.
On top of those issues is a rumor that negotiations are currently stuck on how Emirates would be charged to provide Starlink for its passengers. According to the anonymous sources quoted by Bloomberg, Starlink currently charges per seat, but Emirates only wants to be charged if a seat is occupied on any given flight.
What is Starlink?
Starlink is a division of Musk’s SpaceX program that provides high-speed broadband service via a ‘constellation’ of more than 6,750 satellites in low Earth orbit, boasting speeds of up to 500 Megabit per second.
Live streaming and video gaming at 38,000 feet are easily achievable, according to Starlink.
Starlink has near-global coverage and is authorized for use over all international waters. Coverage over local territorial waters and in motion over land is, however, reliant on approvals from local governments.
Airlines say the Starlink equipment can be installed on airplanes in about half the time of rival products, allowing fast retrofits with minimum downtime.
Emirates currently uses the outdated Sita OnAir inflight Wi‑Fi service across the majority of its fleet, which is both slow and unreliable. New Airbus A350s are, however, being fitted with ViaSat Global Xpress inflight Wi-Fi which Emirates claims is 10x faster than the internet service on its other airplanes.
An upgrade is long overdue for Emirates’ Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 aircraft, and one possibility is that the airline ultimately rejects Starlink in favor of Viasat, which is also an American communications company.
Currently, Emirates only offers free inflight Wi-Fi to its most elite frequent flyers, while other members of its Skywards loyalty program can access free chat functionality on apps like Facebook Messenger and Whatsapp.
Starlink has not yet signed a deal with an airline that has gone on to charge any passengers to access unlimited inflight Wi-Fi, including major regional rival Qatar Airways, which has already rolled out Starlink across its Boeing 777 fleet and plans to start upgrading Airbus A350s with the tech in the near future.
What other airlines have signed up for Starlink?
The list of airlines opting to install Starlink is starting to grow and currently includes:
- Air France (installations haven’t yet started)
- Hawaiian Airlines (available on Boeing 787 Dreamliners)
- Air Baltic (available on select Airbus A220 aircraft)
- Qatar Airways (installed on all Boeing 777 aircraft)
- United Airlines (first regional aircraft now equipped)
The other potential contender for this big contract with Emirates is Amazon, which is trying to start its own satellite internet company known as Project Kuiper.
To provide reliable worldwide coverage, Amazon will need a so-called ‘constellation’ of low earth orbit satellites, but Project Kuiper only launched its first 27 satellites into space late last month.
Matt’s take – Passengers expect fast inflight Wi-Fi and are becoming increasingly reluctant to pay for it
My take as a flight attendant: I just know how passengers will react when I have to tell them that the Wi-Fi on their flight isn’t working, and I can assure you it’s not one of joy.
A few years ago, passengers didn’t necessarily expect inflight internet, and when it stopped working, they would shrug their shoulders and use it as an excuse to ‘switch off’ from all the pressures of life on the ground.
During the pandemic, however, that quickly changed. Everyone is now used to working remotely and being connected at all times. A plane ride is the perfect opportunity to catch up with work or personal projects, and with everything now in the cloud, that requires an internet connection.
Providing reliable, fast inflight Wi-Fi is the new passenger experience arms race, and Emirates is quickly being left behind.
