Emirates set to bring Starlink internet to planes despite regulatory hurdles

Emirates, the world’s most profitable airline, wants to announce a deal with SpaceX that would put high-speed Starlink internet on its planes. There’s just one problem: the service doesn’t have government approval yet in the United Arab Emirates.

People familiar with the talks told Bloomberg, Emirates will reveal the partnership at the Dubai Air Show starting Monday. They asked not to be named since the negotiations are still private. The Dubai-based airline runs about 250 wide-body jets and has over 300 more on order from Boeing and Airbus.

Getting Emirates as a customer is a big win for Elon Musk’s satellite internet business. The carrier moves more international passengers than any other airline and is known globally for premium service.

Here’s the thing, the UAE hasn’t approved Starlink for use in the country yet. Officials would need to reverse that policy for the deal to actually work. On top of that, the service hasn’t been certified for Emirates’ showcase plane, the double-decker A380.

Other Gulf airlines already using Starlink

Qatar Airways was first in the region to offer Starlink, starting last year. The Gulf’s second-biggest airline now has it on Boeing 777s and started retrofitting Airbus A350 jets.

SpaceX has pitched the service to Gulf Air and Flydubai too. Back in August, the company closed a deal with Saudia, Saudi Arabia’s main airline.

When President Trump visited Saudi Arabia in May, Musk said the kingdom would authorize Starlink for aviation and maritime use. Bahrain and Jordan already allow it. Lebanon’s cabinet granted Starlink a license for internet services recently.

SpaceX’s Starlink keeps growing

The satellite internet business keeps expanding. SpaceX just passed 8 million customers around the world. As reported by Cryptopolitan, the company’s buying another $2.6 billion worth of wireless spectrum licenses from EchoStar, adding to a $17 billion deal from September.

Last week, Thursday, SpaceX announced another major contract. International Airlines Group will install Starlink on more than 500 aircraft across British Airways, Iberia, and Aer Lingus. That rollout starts in 2026 and covers nearly every plane not headed for retirement.

The extra spectrum from EchoStar will grow Starlink’s new “direct to cell” network. Right now, it lets T-Mobile customers access satellite-based 5G internet.

EchoStar started unloading spectrum earlier this year after pressure from the Federal Communications Commission and the Trump administration. Trump personally told EchoStar’s CEO to sell the licenses. The September sale to SpaceX basically ended EchoStar’s plans to build its own satellite constellation for mobile devices. AT&T bought $23 billion worth of spectrum from EchoStar in August.

Starlink’s been creeping across the aviation industry for the last few years. It started with smaller jets and private planes in 2022 but quickly racked up big commercial partnerships. Hawaiian Airlines was first. United Airlines announced a deal in late 2024 and then accelerated the rollout earlier this year. Qatar Airways outfitted dozens of wide-body planes this year too.