Travelers flying to the United States with Emirates will soon have uninterrupted WiFi, mobile connectivity and live television even when their routes pass over the North Pole and Arctic. At present, flights that traverse the polar region can experience connectivity blackouts of up to four hours. A new partnership between Emirates and Inmarsat will make use of two satellites in elliptical orbits to prevent those outages. The upgraded service is expected to be rolled out by 2022.
Adel Al Redha, Emirates’ executive vice president and chief operations officer, said the airline is pleased with the improvement: “This development will ensure Emirates continues to lead the industry in providing our customers a seamless inflight connectivity experience across geographies and on all flight routes. Over the years, we have worked closely with Inmarsat and our supply partners to continuously raise the bar on inflight connectivity, and we look forward to further enhancing that experience as new technologies and infrastructure become available.”
Emirates already ranks among the world’s leaders in onboard connectivity, offering WiFi across its entire fleet. All passengers receive a basic allowance—20MB of free data or two hours of unlimited messaging—and many flights also carry live television. Live TV is available on 175 aircraft, including the airline’s full fleet of Boeing 777s and select Airbus A380s. According to the airline, more than one million WiFi sessions are initiated on Emirates flights each month.
The partnership with Inmarsat uses satellites in highly elliptical orbits, which provide stronger coverage at high latitudes where traditional geostationary satellites struggle. By routing signals through these satellites, Emirates will be able to maintain continuous connectivity on polar routes, letting passengers stay online for work, messaging and entertainment throughout the flight. This is especially valuable on long-haul services to North America that take polar shortcuts, reducing travel time while keeping passengers connected.
The introduction of this capability aligns with broader industry trends toward better inflight connectivity and richer onboard services. As airlines invest in satellite technologies and network partnerships, passengers can expect improved access to streaming, live news and real-time communications on long-distance flights. For frequent flyers and long-haul travelers, the ability to remain connected over previously dark stretches will change how they plan work and leisure during flights.
Emirates’ move to eliminate polar connectivity gaps underscores the airline’s focus on passenger experience and technological investment. With global routes increasingly routed over polar regions to save time and fuel, having reliable internet and live TV becomes a competitive advantage. The carrier’s existing offerings—complimentary basic data, broad fleet-wide WiFi availability and extensive live television support—will be enhanced by the new satellite solution, delivering a more consistent inflight experience across all long-haul services.