Qatar Airways, a longtime customer of Inmarsat-now-Viasat’s Global Xpress (GX) Ka-band satellite-supported inflight connectivity service, has signaled its intent to offer SpaceX’s Starlink Aviation onboard Internet on a complimentary basis to passengers, who will be able access it with “one-click”.

The low-latency IFC service will roll out on board “specific aircraft and routes”, according to a Qatar Airways press release. “Qatar Airways and Starlink are currently in the pre-launch phase of the rollout strategy across Qatar Airways fleet,” says the airline. In the same release, SpaceX vice president of Starlink commercial sales Jonathan Hofeller is quoted as saying that Starlink is “set to support the entire Qatar Airways fleet”.

The news comes one month after the APEX/IFSA Global EXPO in Long Beach, where Qatar Airways Group chief executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the organization, and where Starlink executives met with airlines in a hotel adjacent to the convention center.

Whether Qatar Airways’ arrangement with Starlink represents a partial- or full-fleet win, the news speaks to a changing landscape in IFC, where Low Earth Orbit constellations — including SpaceX’s Starlink — are shaking up a segment that has been traditionally supported by GEO satellites. Flexjet, for instance, recently announced plans to bring Starlink to its fractional fleet, telling RGN the Starlink kit will replace the Viasat hardware already installed on some of its aircraft.

Moreover, Carlsbad, California-based Viasat’s acquisition of London-headquartered Inmarsat, completed on 31 May, and the aforementioned changing landscape has prompted some Inmarsat value added resellers to evaluate their positioning. One such VAR, SITA, has already revealed it will exit the cabin connectivity market in January 2025. SITA is a service provider to Qatar Airways, supporting a lower bandwidth L-band satellite solution on the carrier’s Airbus A380s and Boeing 787-8s. GX-powered Wi-Fi, branded “Super Wi-Fi” by Qatar Airways, is available on the carrier’s Boeing 777s, 787-9s and Airbus A350s.

Runway Girl Network sought clarity from Qatar Airways, asking via email:

Does Qatar Airways plan to replace the Inmarsat (now Viasat) GX inflight connectivity hardware on its aircraft with Starlink?

Will Starlink be brought to Qatar Airways’ entire fleet?

When will supplemental type certifications and Starlink installations begin?

Which aircraft type is slated to receive the hardware first?

Did service provider SITA’s decision to stop being a GX value added reseller in January 2025 color Qatar Airways’ decision to select Starlink?

We’re also keen to understand if Qatar Airways intends to continue rolling out Inmarsat GX on its 787-9s. After all, it was only last fall that the carrier began fitting in-service 787-9s with Safran Passenger Innovations’ new nextgen GX terminal. Inmarsat told RGN at the time that Qatar Airways is to take new 787-9s and 737 MAX deliveries linefit with the solution.

Replying to our questions, a Qatar Airways spokesperson said via email: “We have noted your query and we will keep you updated on any new operational and related developments as and when they become available in future.”

In a follow-up exchange with the airline, in which we sought explicit clarity on the extent of the deal, the spokesperson said: “Can I kindly ask that you lift the phrase as is currently captured in the press release.”

In the absence of clarity… Perhaps it would be logical for Qatar Airways to first bring Starlink to its 787-8s, a fleet that has seen an in-seat IFE upgrade in recent years but which still does not offer true broadband connectivity.

Once the Starlink service is active on Qatar Airways aircraft, the airline promises that passengers will be able to enjoy on a complimentary basis “ultra-fast Wi-Fi speeds of up to 350 Mbps which can be used for a variety of Internet-based services such as video streaming their favourite entertainment and sports videos, gaming, enriched web-browsing and much more”. In contrast, Qatar Airways presently charges passengers $10 for inflight access to its ‘Super Wi-Fi’.

In its press release, Qatar Airways also boasts that it is “the largest airline to collaborate with Starlink”. Other Starlink customers include Part 135 operator JSX, which has already fitted its fleet of ERJs; Hawaiian Airlines, whose  launch of Starlink is delayed until early next year; airBaltic and ZIPAIR.

Hawaiian, ZIPAIR and Qatar Airways’ fleets include 787s.