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Emirates Airbus A380 Returns To Service With Starlink Wi-Fi
The first upgraded superjumbo re-enters service after a cabin refit as the airline pushes high-speed internet across its fleet.
Emirates has returned its first Airbus A380 fitted with Starlink satellite internet to service, upgrading onboard connectivity on its flagship aircraft.
The jet arrived back in Dubai this week after installation and certification work in the UK. Three antennas now sit on the aircraft, replacing older systems that struggled to support more than basic browsing.
The difference is reported to be huge. The new setup can deliver more than 2 Gbps of total bandwidth across the cabin, enough for passengers to stream, work, and stay online during long-haul flights. Access will be free in every cabin.
The shift reflects a broader interest in low-earth orbit networks. Starlink is currently the largest and most viable contender in this space, and is already changing expectations for inflight connectivity.
“Partnering with Starlink is another defining moment in our continuous commitment to ensuring our customers fly better,” said Tim Clark, President of Emirates Airlines. “We’re introducing the world’s fastest Wi-Fi, elevating what passengers can expect from inflight connectivity”.
Adapting the system to the double-decker Airbus A380 meant adding extra hardware. The aircraft carries more passengers than a 777 and requires an additional antenna and more access points to maintain stable coverage across both decks.
Emirates plans to scale quickly. Installations will now take place at its Dubai engineering base, with more A380s scheduled through 2026. The airline has already equipped 25 Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, with more than 650,000 passengers having used the service.
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The rollout is part of a broader upgrade cycle at Emirates. The carrier has been refitting cabins, adding Premium Economy, and overhauling inflight entertainment. More than 90 aircraft have already been refurbished.
For Gulf carriers, connectivity is becoming part of the core product.
Next steps for Emirates include live TV over Starlink, first on personal devices, then on seatback screens.
News
Visa’s Return To Syria Starts With A Test And A Bank In Lebanon
Foreign visitors will be the first users to benefit, but whether Syria’s own banks and cardholders follow is still an open question.
Visa is returning to Syria. Its first live international card transaction in the country was a test rather than a launch, and the milestone event ran through a Lebanese bank.
The acquirer (the bank on the merchant’s side of a card payment) was Fransabank Lebanon, with Paymera as the other named partner. Nadim Moujaes, who heads a Fransabank Group subsidiary, describes the test as both the culmination of “longstanding efforts to link Syria back to international payment networks” and “the first step in a larger path”.
Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa makes the first electronic payment in Syria using a @Visa card at a store in Damascus, following the lifting of US sanctions on Syria. pic.twitter.com/lpAN7nQ6Fc
— Tech Magazine (@TechMGZN) August 27, 2026
“We are excited to have successfully tested live transactions today as we plan to enable international visitors to use their Visa cards while in Syria,” says Leila Serhan, Visa’s senior vice president and group country manager for the North Africa, Levant and Pakistan region. Although a significant first step, that plan doesn’t come with a hard date for when a visitor’s card will work normally.
Mohammed Safwat Raslan, governor of the Central Bank of Syria, says the test paves the way for international card acceptance in Syria and that maintaining strong compliance, risk management and operational controls will remain essential. Serhan likewise stresses that Visa has worked within applicable legal, regulatory and compliance requirements. For a test transaction, it seems there was a great deal of attention paid to the rules, with the entire operation being carefully managed.
Also Read: Lebanon’s 5G Era Begins With 150 Stations And A $1M Budget
The test is the latest step in a sequence that began in December 2025, when Visa announced a strategic roadmap to support Syria’s integration into the global digital economy. In February 2026 it hosted its first industry gathering of banks, ecosystem partners and policymakers in Damascus and, the same month, signed an agreement with Syria’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology in San Francisco.
Michel Kattouah, Paymera’s CEO, called the test “the return of international card acceptance,” but while that’s positive news, there’s no word yet on when a Syrian bank will issue a Visa card to a Syrian customer.
Visa’s Return To Syria Starts With A Test And A Bank In Lebanon
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