Bahrain's Gulf Air is the latest Middle East airline to sign an agreement with SpaceX's Starlink to roll out high-speed internet across its entire fleet, handing Elon Musk's company an edge in the race for connectivity.
The airline will start Starlink services on its aircraft in the middle of the year to offer free on-board Wi-Fi to all its passengers across cabins, it said. The roll-out will begin with Airbus A320 narrowbodies before equipping the rest of its fleet. The airline operates Airbus A320s and the larger A321s as well as Boeing 787 Dreamliners.
“With Starlink on board, Gulf Air is bringing next-generation in-flight connectivity to all passengers, whether travelling for leisure or business. From boarding until arrival, customers can stream, game, work, or stay in touch with loved ones, regardless of cabin or ticket type,” said recently appointed chief executive Martin Gauss.
“This upgrades the entire travel experience and reinforces our commitment to delivering premium, seamless connectivity for every journey.”
The advanced connectivity on every flight “redefines” what Gulf Air passengers can expect from the national carrier, said group chairman Khalid Hussain Taqi.
Starlink operates through a growing constellation of low-Earth orbit satellites, delivering high-speed, low-latency internet.
Gulf Air joins Middle East carriers including Emirates, flydubai and Qatar Airways in striking deals with SpaceX for the Starlink service.
Soaring demand for premium travel since the pandemic – coupled with faster, more reliable satellite links – has spurred wider adoption among full-service carriers.
Qatar Airways became the first airline in the Gulf to introduce Starlink when it launched the service in October 2024 on its Boeing 777s. It has also started retrofitting its Airbus A350 jets.
Long-haul giant Emirates, the world's most profitable airline, and its sister airline flydubai announced deals with Starlink during the Dubai Airshow in November 2025.
Other global carriers to sign agreements with Starlink include British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Lufthansa.
However, a recent social media spat between Mr Musk and budget carrier Ryanair's boss Michael O'Leary has raised questions over the economic viability of the service for no-frills airlines.
Mr O'Leary has said that the Wi-Fi antennas add weight to planes and increase aerodynamic resistance, which by turn increases fuel costs.
