Emirates A380s now flying with Starlink Wi-Fi

Emirates is joining the battle for the best Wi-Fi in the skies, with the airline's first Starlink-equipped Airbus A380 taking off this week.

Passengers from the first class suites to the last row of economy will all enjoy a free high-speed connection on the Internet, compared to the current model of paid plans ranging from USD$2.99 to USD$19.99.

The A380s will funnel more than 2Gbps of total bandwidth across both decks, courtesy of three satellite antennae compared to the usual two on most twin-aisle jets, to cater for the superjumbo’s high passenger count, which can top 600 travellers in a two-class configuration.

For passengers, the key upgrade is not just the speed – users can expect 100-150Mbps – but the lower latency of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites, which makes video calls and streaming feasible compared to older generation geo-stationary satellites.

The Gulf carrier plans to add live TV streaming, “initially on personal devices and later integrated into seatback screens.”

Starlink technology is being added to all superjumbos as they receive an upgrade to new business class seats, and Emirates’ aim is to have its entire fleet running the high-speed satellite service by mid-2027.

Read more: Emirates’ underwhelming ‘new’ A380 business class

This move sees Emirates playing catch-up to rival Qatar Airways, which already has its entire Airbus A350 and Boeing 777 fleets running Starlink and has now moved on to the Boeing 787s.

Starlink has also signed up the likes of United Airlines, British Airways, Hawaiian Airlines, Lufthansa and Air New Zealand.

Also read: We review Qatar Airways' superfast Starlink Wi-Fi