EMIRATES: to roll out free Starlink WiFi for all cabins

Emirates is preparing to consign slow inflight Wi-Fi to the dustbin of aviation history, confirming it will roll out free, ultra-fast Starlink internet across its entire fleet of 232 Boeing 777s and Airbus A380s. This will create the world’s largest Starlink-enabled international fleet and marks a genuine turning point for passengers long accustomed to patchy, expensive, or downright useless inflight connectivity. The first commercial Emirates flight featuring Starlink goes live 23 November 2025, with the full rollout expected by mid-2027.

Free, fast Wi-Fi for everyone — even in economy

Emirates will offer free Starlink access to all passengers in every cabin. You don’t even have to be a Skywards member. This alone sets Emirates apart from airlines which continue to charge for Wi-Fi or limit free access to text-only messaging.

The airline promises speeds fast enough to be useful. Passengers should be able to stream Netflix, YouTube, and make FaceTime or WhatsApp calls and even play online games. Live television will also be streamed via Starlink, initially on personal devices from December 2025 and then progressively to seatback screens.

When passengers will see Starlink

The rollout begins with the first Starlink-equipped Boeing 777-300ER (registration A6-EPF) operating a commercial flight on 23 November 2025, Emirates plans to install Starlink on roughly 14 aircraft per month, an aggressive pace by airline retrofit standards. The Airbus A380 installations will begin in February 2026, with the entire 232-strong fleet to be completed by mid-2027. Travellers will be able to check whether their aircraft is Starlink-equipped when booking and through the Emirates app closer to departure.

Why Emirates is installing three antennae on each A380

To avoid the number of passengers accessing the service affecting speed, Emirates is fitting two Starlink antennae to each Boeing 777 and three to each A380. This is crucial because an A380 Starlink service could be servicing over 500 passengers per flight. The additional antennae are designed to provide more bandwidth, more stable coverage, and fewer irritating dropouts.

The inflight experience

For travellers, the difference should be immediately noticeable. Webpages should load instantly rather than frame-by-frame. Messages should send in real time instead of batches. Video calls should run smoothly without freezing into pixelated guess-the-face puzzles. VPN connections should actually function, allowing business travellers to access company systems securely. Even uploading photos and videos should take seconds instead of minutes.

Let’s just hope it doesn’t mean that chancers, like the one in Sydney’s Business lounge today doesn’t shout on his teams call so the entire cabin knows he was separating from his wife, and although this business didn’t have the money to pay all employees, another did, if they would just wait until the 2nd week of December. We’ve all heard that excuse before!

Part of a broader Emirates cabin upgrade

The Starlink rollout is just another piece of Emirates’ retrofit program, including the installation of new Premium Economy cabins, new Business Class seats, new First Class suites, a better entertainment system, and new seatback screens. The quick rollout of Starlink is to try and create a consistent experience for passengers across the fleet, according to Emirates head, Sir Tim Clark.

2PAXfly Takeout

Currently, no other major global airline offers unlimited, high-speed, free Wi-Fi across its long-haul fleet. It will be like when the internet hit hotels. First they charged, then it was free for loyalty members, and now, if you don’t get free cableless WiFi, you wonder what century your living in.

Emirates’ decision positions it well ahead of competitors such as Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Etihad, and Turkish Airlines. Expect these and other airlines to match this level of service. The competitive pressure inow cannot be ignored.