Elon Musk’s satellite internet venture is edging closer to a high-profile deal in Saudi Arabia, underscoring the billionaire’s accelerating footprint in the Middle East across multiple industries. 

Saudi Arabia’s national airline, Saudia, is in advanced talks to equip its more than 140 aircraft with Starlink, Bloomberg reported on Aug. 14. The service, operated by Musk’s SpaceX, uses a constellation of low-orbit satellites to deliver high-speed internet — an increasingly sought-after amenity in long-haul aviation. 

Details: If finalized, the agreement could mark Starlink’s most prominent win in the Gulf’s biggest economy, where Musk is already extending his corporate reach. Earlier this year, his electric car company, Tesla, opened its first showroom in the kingdom, signaling a bid to tap into one of the region’s top markets for technology and transportation players. Crucially, this signaled that the tycoon had moved past a high-profile dispute with Saudi Arabia’s influential sovereign wealth fund that started amid the automotive firm's attempted privatization in 2018. 

Tensions between Musk and the kingdom date back to August 2018, when he claimed on Twitter (now X) that he had “funding secured” to take Tesla private following discussions with the Saudi fund. After the deal failed to materialize, investors sued Musk, accusing him of misleading them about the privatization, and leading to a falling out with Saudi Arabia.