OnAir has secured two new Asian customers, China's Shenzhen Airlines and India's Kingfisher Airlines.
The in-flight mobile telephone provider says Shenzhen will begin offering the service on some domestic flights in mid-2008, just prior to the start of the Olympics in Beijing. Kingfisher will introduce the service in mid-2008 on new long-haul flights.
Shenzhen and Kingfisher in September joined AirAsia and AirAsia X as OnAir's Asian customers. OnAir so far has secured five European customers - Air France, bmi, TAP Portugal, Ryanair and an undisclosed low-cost operator. Air France will be the first carrier to use the service when it begins trialing the in-flight mobile telephone technology in late 2007. Trials with bmi and TAP will begin in early 2008. Ryanair, which will offer the services from the first quarter of 2008, will be the first revenue customer.
OnAir expects to sign up several more several more Asian and European carriers by the end of this year and that the first customer in the Americas will be secured in early 2008. Kingfisher will initially equip its five Airbus A330s and five A350s with the technology. Shenzhen will equip three narrowbody aircraft, which will be used to demonstrate the service until mid-2009, when the carrier will start equipping the rest of its fleet.
Source: Airline Business
