Emirates is fitting Starlink across its fleet: a hundred aircraft done
Why an aviation story sits in a property section: connectivity is part of what it costs to live in Dubai, and none of these items moves prices alone.
Emirates has equipped a hundred aircraft with next-generation satellite internet and plans to complete the upgrade of its whole fleet by the end of 2026.
Why an aviation story is in a property section
Because connectivity is part of the cost of living in Dubai. A significant share of the emirate's residents are people who fly constantly: regional heads, consultants, entrepreneurs with businesses in several countries. For them, working internet on a six-hour flight is not a convenience but a working day.
Dubai has consistently built a position as a hub from which to run a business in Europe, Asia and Africa at once. Every element of that construction — direct routes, the speed of the airport, the quality of connectivity in the air — works towards the same argument: it is convenient from here.
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Context
Dubai International has long been operating at record volumes: in some months more than 4.3 million passengers pass through it. In parallel, Al Maktoum International is being built for a multiple of that flow, and rail service between the emirates has started.
None of these stories moves housing prices by itself. Together they explain why the inflow of residents does not stop: transport access is one of the first items in a relocation decision, and on that measure the emirate's arguments accumulate rather than diminish.
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