Emirates Nears Starlink Deal—But UAE Approval Still Up in the Air

Dubai’s flagship airline is circling a deal with Elon Musk’s satellite internet venture—but regulatory turbulence looms.

Why it matters: In-flight broadband could become a new battleground for luxury travel. Emirates wants Starlink’s low-latency tech to outshine rivals—if UAE’s telecom gatekeepers give the green light.

The hitch: Local authorization remains stuck in bureaucratic orbit. No surprise—Middle East regulators love moving at the speed of dial-up when it comes to disruptive tech (unless it involves oil futures).

Bottom line: Another high-profile SpaceX partnership stuck in holding pattern. Meanwhile, airline stocks will probably moon anyway—because markets love a good story more than actual revenue.

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.

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