Qatar Airways Adds Starlink To 787s, Rolls It Out On A350

Qatar AirwayS has become the first airline globally to equip the Boeing 787-8 with Starlink, while also completing the world’s first Airbus A350 Starlink installation program, further cementing its position as the industry leader in high-speed in-flight connectivity.

The Doha-based carrier now operates nearly 120 Starlink-equipped widebody aircraft, spanning Airbus A350s, Boeing 777s, and Boeing 787 Dreamliners. The rollout means more than 58% of the airline’s widebody fleet now offers ultra-high-speed connectivity at speeds of up to 500 Mbps, enabling gate-to-gate internet access on long- and ultra-long-haul routes across six continents, subject to local regulations.

First-of-Its-Kind Installations

Following its Boeing 777 linkage program, QR completed the entire A350 Starlink installation within eight months, finishing in December 2025. The airline has now extended the technology to its 787 fleet, with three Boeing 787-8s already flying with Starlink, making QR the first carrier worldwide to secure Starlink certification on the 787-8.

Within 14 months, QR launched and completed Starlink installations on the Boeing 777 and Airbus A350, before expanding the program to the 787, marking what the airline describes as the fastest widebody connectivity rollout in aviation history.

Since the airline launched its Starlink service in October 2024, it says more than 11 million of its passengers have used the complimentary high-speed Wi-Fi onboard. In a global context, Starlink connected approximately 21 million airline passengers in 2025, with Qatar Airways accounting for nearly half of that total, underscoring the scale of its deployment relative to the wider industry.

Passengers on Starlink-equipped aircraft can stream, video call, and work in real time, with performance that the airline says can exceed many home broadband connections. The service is now available on flights to most of QR’s destinations in the Americas and Australia, as well as on key routes across Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.

Beyond the passenger experience, Starlink is also reshaping Qatar Airways’ internal operations. Real-time connectivity enables instant flight and roster updates to crew devices, improves coordination between cabin crew and ground teams during medical or service-related events, and enables engineering teams to monitor in-flight entertainment systems in real time, allowing issues to be addressed before aircraft land.

These capabilities are designed to improve decision-making, reduce delays, and enhance turnaround efficiency, extending the impact of in-flight connectivity well beyond customer-facing services.

Travelore News: Philadelphia to Be 1st U.S. City To Get Flights on The All-New Airbus A350

Photo: Christoph Schmidt, EPA)

Philadelphia will be the first city in the United States to land regular passenger service on the new Airbus A350.

Qatar Airways, the world's first airline to begin flying the A350, will put the the A350 on its Philadelphia flights starting Jan. 1. The carrier currently flies one daily round-trip between Philadelphia and its hub in Doha on Boeing 777 jets.

TODAY IN THE SKY: Now flying: The Airbus A350, the world's newest jetliner

"We are very pleased to announce the launch of our first A350 service to the United States," Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker says in a statement.

"Philadelphia is the sixth largest metropolitan area in the USA and is an important international business hub that is home to seven Fortune 1000 companies," he adds. "With the launch of the new A350 service from January 1st next year, Qatar Airways will be further strengthening its position in Philadelphia and the U.S. overall as an airline offering passengers a world-class travel experience."

Qatar Airways also revealed plans to put its new A350s on other U.S. routes. Beginning March 1, Qatar Airways will begin using the jet on one of its flights to New York. And on March 16, the carrier will begin using the jet on its service between Boston and Doha.

The A350 is the latest brand-new aircraft type to be introduced by either Airbus or Boeing, the world's two biggest aircraft manufacturers.

Qatar Airways became the first carrier in the world to take delivery of the jet late last year. And, in January, Qatar Airways was the first to put the A350 into regular revenue service when it debuted the jet on a route between Doha and Frankfurt.

The A350 also will likely be the last completely new aircraft from the world's two big jetmakers for the foreseeable future. Neither Boeing nor Airbus currently have any all-new models under way, meaning it could be a decade or longer until passengers see another all-new aircraft type produced by either of them.

The A350 is the third all-new aircraft to be rolled out by either Airbus or Boeing during the past decade. It joins Airbus' superjumbo A380 – which debuted in 2007 – and Boeing's new-age 787 "Dreamliner," which made its first flight for an airline in 2011.

 From Ben Mutzabaugh, USA TODAY