In November 2025, Emirates announced plans to roll out Starlink Wi-Fi, which is incredibly exciting, given the lackluster state of the carrier’s Wi-Fi otherwise. While the airline started by installing Starlink on 777s, there’s a positive update, as A380s are now also starting to get the service.
Emirates adding free Starlink Wi-Fi fleetwide by mid-2027
Emirates is partnering with SpaceX to introduce Starlink Wi-Fi throughout its fleet. When available, Starlink Wi-Fi is free, and travelers can connect with one click on all their devices, including laptops, tablets, and smartphones. You don’t even have to be an Emirates Skywards member to use the service.
What’s perhaps most impressive is the pace at which Emirates is rolling out upgraded Wi-Fi service. The plan is for the entire fleet to have Starlink Wi-Fi by mid-2027, with 14 planes being fitted with the service per month.
So, what’s the current state of things? So far, 25 Emirates Boeing 777s have Starlink, and that project is continuing at an accelerated pace. Now Emirates has also installed Starlink on its first Airbus A380, so the two fleet types will be getting the service at the same time.
Starlink is known for its high-speed, low-latency broadband internet, and the service is offered gate to gate. Starlink Wi-Fi allows for live streaming, productivity similar to on the ground (with high upload and download speeds), gaming, e-commerce, and more. Emirates is also allowing passengers to make calls with the service, which is always a bit controversial. Having recently taken my first flights with Starlink, I can confirm that this is a total game changer, as I see it.
Starlink is becoming increasingly popular with airlines. So far we’ve seen carriers like Aer Lingus, airBaltic, Air France, Air New Zealand, Alaska Airlines, British Airways, Copa Airlines, Gulf Air, Hawaiian Airlines, Iberia, Korean Air, Lufthansa Group, Qatar Airways, SAS, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, and WestJet, all announce plans to install the service.
Here’s how Emirates President Tim Clark describes this development (which has some interesting shade in there regarding consistency at other airlines):
“Partnering with Starlink is another defining moment in our continuous commitment to ensuring our customers ‘fly better’. We’re introducing the world’s fastest Wi-Fi, elevating what passengers can expect from inflight connectivity, like seamless productivity, real-time communication with loved ones, and uninterrupted connection to their digital lives. But that’s just one piece of the transformation happening across our fleet.
“Starlink is being installed in tandem with the most ambitious cabin refurbishment programme in aviation including brand new Premium Economy cabins, an enhanced Business Class, refreshed First Class, expanded and upgraded entertainment system technologies, and now, industry-leading connectivity.”
“Emirates’ philosophy is simple but powerful: we strive to deliver consistency. While others peddle a confusing mix of products across a varied fleet, we want all our customers to be able to enjoy Emirates’ best products and not only on certain routes or aircraft types. That’s why we’re investing so heavily in our retrofit programme.
“The most advanced connectivity, exceptional cabins, extensive entertainment, and world-class service from our talented Cabin Crew – all of these elements reflect our substantial investment and commitment to raising the bar on what air travel should be.”
This is a massively overdue development for Emirates
Of course it’s great to see airlines introducing free high speed Wi-Fi in general. However, I don’t think there’s a global airline that was more desperately in need of a Wi-Fi upgrade than Emirates. The Dubai-based carrier has historically used OnAir for connectivity, which is excruciatingly slow, and feels about two decades past its prime.
If you actually needed to get any work done, Wi-Fi on the A380s and 777s was basically unusable, aside from basic texting.
So while we’re seeing lots of airlines upgrade to Starlink Wi-Fi, these are largely airlines that previously had Intelsat, Panasonic, Viasat, etc. Going from OnAir to Starlink is like going from Ryanair economy to Emirates first class.
This is a massive boost to Emirates’ passenger experience, and it’s also fantastic how quickly the airline is rolling out this service. In a little over a year, we should find this available on a vast majority of aircraft. Perhaps the only other airline seeing such a Wi-Fi glow-up is Panama’s Copa, which is going from no Wi-Fi to Starlink.
Bottom line
Emirates is currently rolling out free Starlink Wi-Fi. The airline is aiming to install this on around 14 planes per month, and so far 25 777s and one A380 have the service.
While Emirates is hardly the first airline to introduce Starlink Wi-Fi, it’s one of the airlines that has been most in need of this announcement, given the awful performance of the carrier’s OnAir connectivity. What a boost to the passenger experience!
What do you make of Emirates introducing Starlink?
