DUBAI : Emirates customers have made more than one million connections to Starlink Wi-Fi since the service was introduced across the airline’s fleet 7 months ago, marking a major milestone in the evolution of inflight connectivity. More than a Petabyte of data has already been used by customers and feedback on the service has been exemplary – with many commenting that the Wi-Fi is ‘better than at home.’
With over 60 Starlink-equipped Emirates flights taking to the skies every day, customers are choosing to connect to high-speed Starlink Wi-Fi to stream content, join video calls, browse social media, game online and stay connected with family and friends throughout their journey.
The one million milestone reflects the rapid adoption of Emirates’ next-generation connectivity service, currently available on 33 Boeing 777 aircraft and three Airbus A380s, with installations continuing at pace across the airline’s fleet and more aircraft with Starlink taking flight every week.
From kilobits to gigabits
Emirates has long been a pioneer in onboard connectivity and was among the first commercial carriers to introduce internet access onboard the Airbus A380, with first-generation systems delivering less than 1 Mbps of total aircraft bandwidth. Emirates’ existing inflight Wi-Fi service already enables customers to stay connected throughout their journey, with access to messaging, email, web browsing and social media on most flights. Complimentary access is available for all Emirates customers.
Today, Emirates is setting a new benchmark with Starlink-equipped A380 aircraft capable of delivering more than 2 Gbps of combined bandwidth, so that customers in all classes can enjoy a seamless, complimentary internet experience capable of live calls and streaming at 40,000 feet.
Engineering connectivity at an unprecedented scale
Following the successful rollout of Starlink across the Emirates Boeing 777 fleet, the service has also been introduced to the Airbus A380. As the world’s largest passenger aircraft, the A380 features three Starlink antennas, specifically designed to support its double-deck layout and high passenger capacity. The system delivers enhanced coverage, capacity and performance across all cabin classes. Future planned enhancements will include integrating Live TV streaming to Emirates’ award-winning inflight entertainment system – ice, which customers can already do on their personal devices.
Bringing Starlink to more Emirates customers
To support rapid deployment across the fleet, Emirates has already begun Starlink installations at Emirates Engineering facilities in Dubai, accelerating the introduction of next-generation connectivity across more aircraft. With installations already completed on 33 Boeing 777s and three Airbus A380s, Emirates remains committed to bringing complimentary, ultra-fast Wi-Fi to as many customers as possible, as quickly as possible.
Emirates’ commitment to innovation
The introduction of Starlink on the Airbus A380 forms part of Emirates’ continued investment in elevating the customer experience across every stage of the journey. Alongside one of the aviation industry’s most ambitious fleet retrofit programmes, Emirates continues to introduce innovations that enhance comfort, choice and connectivity for millions of travellers worldwide. To date, 128 aircraft have undergone a complete cabin refurbishment, including the introduction of Premium Economy, refreshed Business and First Class products, upgraded Economy cabins and enhanced inflight entertainment systems offering more than 6,500 channels of content.
