The Certification Ceiling: Why Starlink's High-Speed Wi-Fi Isn't on Every Plane Yet

For years, travelers have endured slow, unreliable, and often expensive inflight internet. But with the advent of high-speed, low-latency satellite systems like Starlink Aviation, the era of seamless, high-quality connectivity—even streaming video—is rapidly becoming an expectation rather than a luxury. This revolutionary service has sparked massive demand from major global carriers, but the rapid technical rollout is now being challenged by the slower, essential process of regulatory approval.

Unprecedented Demand and Rapid Adoption

Airlines are treating high-speed Wi-Fi as a necessary competitive standard, often referred to as "table stakes" in the modern travel experience. Carriers like Qatar Airways have demonstrated just how eager the industry is to embrace Starlink.

The Doha-based carrier, for example, has installed the system on over 100 widebody aircraft in a remarkably short period setting a new benchmark and, showcasing the efficiency of the installation process. The physical retrofit of Starlink hardware is proving to be much faster than traditional systems, with large aircraft like the Boeing 777-300 spending less than a week out of service for the upgrade. This technical agility highlights that the physical supply of equipment and installation capacity is relatively robust.

The Regulatory Hurdle: The Supplementary Type Certificate (STC)

The real bottleneck lies not in the speed of the satellites or the installation crew, but in regulatory compliance. Before any new or modified system can be permanently installed on a commercial aircraft, it must receive a Supplementary Type Certificate (STC) from aviation authorities like the FAA (U.S.), or EASA (Europe).

An STC is essentially a mandate ensuring that the installation of the Starlink equipment on a specific aircraft model (e.g., a Boeing 787-9 or an Airbus A380) meets stringent safety and airworthiness standards and does not compromise the plane’s original design certification.

The Slowdown: The Supply of Certified Aircraft

Because Starlink's entry into commercial aviation is recent, the company is still in the process of securing STCs for a vast array of popular aircraft models used by its growing list of airline partners. This is where demand outstrips immediate availability.

For airlines that have committed to the service, the rollout timeline is now dictated by these critical regulatory approvals:

• Impacted Fleets: Certification gaps currently affect crucial widebody aircraft like the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and the Airbus A380, as well as common single-aisle jets like various Boeing 737 and Airbus A321 variants utilized by other major carriers such as United Airlines and British Airways.

• Certification Timelines: According to public estimates and Starlink, certification for certain critical models, such as the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, may not be secured until at least Q3-2026, with approvals for aircraft like the Airbus A380 potentially following near the end of 2026.

  
  

In short, while an airline may have the funds, the desire, and the technical readiness to install Starlink today, they cannot legally proceed on many aircraft types until the necessary STCs are acquired.

You can learn about the current aircraft models with STCs on the Starlink website here.

The Starlink system represents a definitive leap forward for inflight connectivity, and its widespread adoption is inevitable. However, travelers hoping to experience the service on every flight must remain patient, as the immediate supply of the revolutionary Wi-Fi is constrained by the required, methodical pace of aviation safety and certification. The future is fast, but the regulatory process is not.

Global Airlines Adopting Starlink: Rollout Status and Estimated Launch Timelines

Airline (Region)	Status	Fleet Focus & Key Details	Earliest Known Rollout Date
JSX (USA)	Active	Entire fleet of regional jets are equipped and operating.	Already Operating
Qatar Airways (Middle East)	Active & Rolling Out	Service on over 100 widebody aircraft (B777, A350); rollout is ahead of schedule.	October 2024 (Initial Launch)
airBaltic (Europe)	Active & Rolling Out	Rolling out across the entire Airbus A220-300 fleet.	February 2025 (Initial Launch)
United Airlines (USA)	Active & Rolling Out	Available on regional jets; mainline (B737-800) started in October 2025.	May 2025 (First Regional Flight)
Hawaiian Airlines (USA)	Active & Rolling Out	Available on all Airbus A330 and A321neo; free for all passengers.	Mid-2025 (Initial Rollout)
WestJet (Canada)	Rolling Out	Installation began on narrowbody fleet; widebody aircraft (B787) expected in 2026.	First Half of 2025 (Start)
Air France (Europe)	Announced	Rollout of free Starlink Wi-Fi is scheduled across its 200+ aircraft fleet.	Summer 2025 (Start)
Jazz Aviation (Canada)	Rolling Out	Quietly introduced on a subset of its regional Dash 8 Q400 fleet.	October 2025 (Start)
Emirates (Middle East)	Rolling Out	Fleet-wide deployment on all 232 B777s and A380s; full fleet by mid-2027.	November 23, 2025 (First Commercial Flight)
Air New Zealand (Oceania)	Testing	Conducting trials on two aircraft (one jet, one turboprop) before committing to full fleet.	Late 2025 (Trial Phase)
SAS (Scandinavian Airlines) (Europe)	Announced	Phased rollout of free Starlink Wi-Fi is set to begin across its fleet.	End of 2025 (Start)
IAG Group (UK/Europe)	Announced	Includes British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus, LEVEL, and Vueling; over 500 aircraft planned.	Early 2026 (Start)
flydubai (Middle East)	Announced	Announced deal in November 2025; installations for 100 Boeing 737 aircraft will begin.	2026 (Start)
Alaska Airlines (USA)	Announced	Plans to transition its entire fleet to Starlink technology.	2026 (Start)
Virgin Atlantic (UK)	Announced	Installations set to begin on B787, A350, and A330neo aircraft.	Q3 2026 (Start)
ZIPAIR (Japan)	Announced	Awaiting regulatory certification; a launch timeline is pending official approval.	TBD (Awaiting Certification)

Above table is valid with information available on 18 Nov 2025.