Elon Musk’s SpaceX In Advanced Talks With Saudia To Install Starlink On Saudi Arabia’s Flag Carrier: Report

Elon Musk’s SpaceX is reportedly in advanced talks with Saudi Arabia’s flag carrier, Saudia, to offer Starlink satellite internet service for in-flight connectivity aboard the airline’s fleet.

According to a Bloomberg report citing people familiar with the matter, Saudia is finalizing a deal with SpaceX to roll out the Starlink internet service across its fleet of more than 140 aircraft, providing the company founded by Musk with entry into one of the largest economies in the Middle East.

While SpaceX is currently not a publicly listed company, retail sentiment surrounding the ticker on Stocktwits trended in the ‘neutral’ territory.

SpaceX is also looking beyond Saudia as it looks to establish its presence in the Gulf–the report says that the company is exploring deals with Bahrain’s Gulf Air, and Emirati government-owned airline Flydubai.

SpaceX’s Starlink internet service is offered to airlines as a subscription service, with hardware costs in the range of $300,000 to $500,000, according to the report, in addition to a monthly fee per seat.

In May, Musk had said that Saudi Arabia would allow Starlink services to be used for aviation and maritime purposes. 

However, Starlink is currently not authorized for use in the United Arab Emirates, so if the Flydubia deal has to go through, the country would need to approve the use of SpaceX’s satellite internet service.

Bahrain, Jordan, and Qatar already allow the use of Starlink. Qatar Airways was the first carrier in the Middle East to offer Starlink satellite internet services in its Boeing 777 jets, with the 787 Dreamliner and Airbus A350 jets next in line to get the upgrade.

Also See: Oracle, Google Strike Deal To Offer Gemini AI Models: Report

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