HIS Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, yesterday met Nick Seitz, Global Head of Starlink Aviation at SpaceX, at Gudaibiya Palace.
HRH Prince Salman highlighted the role of Bahrain’s aviation sector in driving economic development, noting the importance of strengthening co-operation with international companies to implement ambitious plans that align with the kingdom’s aspirations.
During the meeting, issues related to the development of the aviation sector in the kingdom and avenues to enhance its competitiveness further were discussed.
Prime Minister’s Court Minister Shaikh Isa bin Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Finance and National Economy Minister Shaikh Salman bin Khalifa Al Khalifa and Cabinet Affairs Minister Hamad Al Malki also attended the meeting.
Also, yesterday, Gulf Air announced the roll out of Starlink high-speed Internet across its entire fleet starting mid-2026, offering complimentary Wi-Fi to passengers onboard its aircraft, from boarding through to arrival.
The move is ‘set to transform’ Bahrain’s national carrier’s travel experience, allowing all customers to stream, game, work and get in touch with their loved ones from the comfort of their seats.
Gulf Air chief executive officer Martin Gauss and Mr Seitz signed the agreement at Awal Private Terminal, with Gulf Air Group chairman Khalid Hussain Taqi, senior government stakeholders and other senior aviation industry leaders in attendance.
For long-haul carriers chasing premium travellers with loyalty perks, video calls and seamless streaming are fast becoming non-negotiable, Reuters reported, but for short-haul and budget airlines the economics look less compelling. It doesn’t come cheap. Valour Consultancy’s Whelan estimates the price at roughly $170,000 (around BD64,000) per aircraft, depending on the airline, before hardware and installation.
Ryanair last Wednesday ruled out equipping its jets with Elon Musk’s Starlink, with boss Michael O’Leary claiming Wi-Fi antennas add weight to planes and increase drag – aerodynamic resistance – which in turn increases fuel costs.
Mr Musk shot back on his social media platform X saying the drag was ‘negligible’ and made a tongue-in-cheek threat to buy Ryanair and replace its CEO.
&uuid=(email))