OnAir has secured two more Asian customers China's - Shenzhen Airlines and India's Kingfisher Airlines - for its in-flight mobile phone and data services.
Shenzhen Airlines president Li Kun says the agreement should lead to the OnAir communications services being installed on all its passenger aircraft by mid-2009, staring with the system installed for demonstrations on three aircraft by August 2008, when Beijing hosts the Olympic Games.
OnAir, a joint venture between Airbus and SITA, says Shenzhen Airlines will be the first Chinese carrier to allow its passengers to use their own mobile devices to make telephone calls and send emails or text messages during flights.
OnAir already had letters of intent with five carriers in Europe and two in Asia, namely AirAsia and AirAsia X.
The agreement with Kingfisher will see OnAir's in-flight communications services being introduced in 2008, and by 2009 passengers will be able to use the Internet in-flight, as well as send and receive emails and make and receive calls on their own mobile devices.
The services will initially be offered on five Airbus A330s and five Airbus A340-500s. OnAir says the airline plans to eventually have the system on all its long-range aircraft. The carrier also has Airbus A350s and A380s on order.
OnAir chief commercial officer Graham Lake says he also expects to sign more customers soon. "By the end of 2007 we expect to see several more in Asia, more in Europe and by early next year I expect we'll see our first one in America, either North or South," says Lake.
Air France will be the first carrier to use the service when it begins trialing the in-flight mobile telephone technology in late 2007. Lake says trials with BMI and TAP will begin in early 2008.
Source: Flight International
