Snagging another 250+ aircraft commitment would be a massive win for Starlink. So would grabbing a premier global airline. Given the company’s announced backlog there’s potential for several more airlines to be part of the Starlink family.
And it now appears Emirates is going to become one of them.
While this decision remains unconfirmed sufficiently reliable sources are sharing the news and it is worth considering. An Emirates executive declined to confirm the decision, adding “Emirates remains committed to providing best IFE content and connectivity in the skies as we’ve been doing for the past 3 decades.”
As with all other Starlink implementations expect this one to be free, likely tied to a Skywards loyalty account.
One source suggests the deal was negotiated at the government level, rather than directly by the airline. And while the extent of the agreement is unclear, signs point to it being a fleet-wide commitment, similar to other Starlink contracts.
It that proves true it would mean dumping the HBCplus deal signed with Airbus and Viasat (Inmarsat GX) for the A350 fleet. Those planes are being delivered today with the kit installed; when that might shift is unclear. Emirates and its polar flight routes were also part of the motivation for the GX10-A/B payloads, positioning into the HEO plane to provide GEO-like coverage over the pole.
It would also replace the significant portion of the fleet operating with the Panasonic Avionics or SITA OnAir systems.
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