Qatar Airways becomes first airline to bring Starlink to the Boeing 787-9

Qatar Airways has just given Avios collectors another reason to like its 787 fleet. It’s become the first airline to fly a Boeing 787-9 with Starlink, bringing fast, free Wi-Fi to an aircraft that already carries some of the airline’s most sought-after reward seats.

It’s the latest step in what’s been one of aviation's fastest widebody Wi-Fi rollouts. Qatar has now finished installing Starlink across its entire Boeing 787-8 fleet, completing the job in seven months, and says 150 widebody aircraft are already connected. The remaining 787s are due to follow before the end of 2026.

Qatar Airways Privilege Club members ultimately get a great perk without spending another point. Qatar Qsuites already rank among the best ways to spend Avios, and Wi-Fi that’s fast enough to actually use makes those long hours in the air even better.

An Overview of What Qatar Has Done

Qatar Airways first started including Starlink on its Boeing 777s in October 2024. Since then, the airline has added the service across three aircraft types at an impressively quick pace for a long-haul fleet.

Each installation takes around 10 hours per aircraft. The 787's composite fuselage makes the process more complicated than on metal-fuselage jets, which is why no US carrier has yet managed to bring Starlink to the Dreamliner. Qatar Airways has now done it on both 787 variants, making it a first for the type globally. Other carriers, including Alaska and United, are expected to follow on their 787 fleets before the end of 2026, but Qatar got there first.

The Airbus A330 and A380 are the two question marks. Qatar Airways is expected to retire its A330s in the near future, so a Starlink upgrade seems unlikely. The A380 is harder to call. Qatar Airways hasn’t announced any plans to install Starlink on the eight aircraft that remain, and the airline’s claim that 83% of its widebody fleet is now connected doesn’t appear to count them.

What Starlink Offers on Board

Starlink is free on Qatar Airways aircraft equipped with it, and getting online takes one click. There’s no login faff or paid package to choose from. It works from the moment you board until you reach the gate at the other end, so there’s no offline gap while you’re sitting on the tarmac.

Speeds can reach up to 500 Mbps, which puts the usual airline Wi-Fi experience to shame. It’s fast enough for video streaming, gaming, VPN access, and even video calls. The airline has made voice and video calls available through the service, though they’re not universally popular with fellow passengers. Over 23 million passengers have used Starlink across over 86,000 Qatar Airways flights since launch in October 2024.

The service is available on long-haul routes to the Americas, Australasia, Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. Routes from Qatar Airways London flights, including services from Heathrow to Doha, are covered by Starlink on aircraft types that have already received the upgrade.

Why This Matters for Avios Collectors

Qatar Qsuite is still one of the best Business Class redemptions you can book with Avios, and the Wi-Fi has caught up with the seat. The Boeing 777 and Airbus A350 fleets handle most of Qatar Airways’ long-haul flying, and they now have Starlink throughout. The 787-8 fleet is fully connected too, while the 787-9 rollout is still a work in progress.

If you're wondering how to use Avios on Qatar Airways, the aircraft type on any given route now makes a difference to the flight experience. Qsuites paired with Starlink feels like a much stronger product than it did even a couple of years ago, especially on a long overnight flight. Free high-speed Wi-Fi on a 14-hour flight in a Qsuite gives Avios collectors a good reason to pay attention to the aircraft operating their flight.

You can book Qatar Airways reward seats with Avios in two ways:

• British Airways Club members can search for Qatar-operated flights on ba.com, where they appear alongside other oneworld partner flights.
• Directly through Qatar Airways Privilege Club.

Always check both before you commit. The price on Qatar flights can be different on the BA website, even though they use the same Avios currency. Link your accounts to move Avios between them as needed.

When Does Qatar Release Avios Seats?

The airline generally releases Qatar Airways reward seats when cash inventory opens, typically around 360 days before departure. Popular routes in Business Class go quickly at opening. Try to search close to when the booking window opens to give yourself the best chance of finding Qatar Qsuites on the dates you want.

Heathrow is a handy starting point if you’re based in the UK. Qatar Airways London flights connect through Doha to destinations across its global network, opening up plenty of options across Asia, the Middle East and beyond. Starlink is now part of the experience on routes operated by the aircraft types that have completed the upgrade.

What Are the Key Fleet Rollout Milestones?

Let’s recap:

• October 2024: Starlink launches on Qatar Airways, starting with the Boeing 777 fleet
• Boeing 777 fleet: rollout completed in 9 months, covering 60+ aircraft
• Airbus A350 fleet: rollout completed in 8 months, covering 60+ aircraft
• Boeing 787-8 fleet: rollout completed in 7 months, covering 32 aircraft
• Boeing 787-9: first aircraft now equipped; 27 aircraft in fleet, rollout ongoing
• Target: full Boeing 787 fleet complete by the end of 2026
• Overall widebody rollout: 83% complete, 150 aircraft equipped, up to 323 Starlink flights daily

Qatar Airways was already an easy airline to get excited about when a Qsuite reward seat appeared. Starlink makes it even better. The rollout now covers most of the widebody fleet, so fast, free Wi-Fi is increasingly something you can expect.

The remaining trick is finding the reward seat in the first place. Aircraft swaps can happen, but it’s always a good idea to check the aircraft type alongside availability for a better sense of what you’re booking. A Qsuite and Wi-Fi that doesn’t give up halfway through a long-haul flight is a pretty good combination.

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