Back to Air Transport IT Review - Issue 3, December 2009
Saudi selects OnAir, while BA passengers get transatlantic mobile connections backbone
Saudi Arabian Airlines has agreed to install full 'SwiftBroadband Mobile OnAir' as well as 'WiFi Internet OnAir' inflight passenger communications services on their fleet of twin-aisle Airbus A330 aircraft flying international routes. The airline expects delivery of the first A330 in April 2010.
Saudi Arabian Airlines passengers will be able to stay connected inflight using their own mobile phones or smartphones to make and receive phone-calls, send and receive text messages and e-mails, and access the Internet.
Using the Internet OnAir service, passengers will be able to access the Internet and VPN networks, just as they do on the ground, by connecting laptops either wirelessly or via a wired connection.
Mounting demand for mobility
Through OnAir's provision both of GSM/GPRS and WiFi Internet, Saudi Arabian Airlines passengers flying internationally in the new fleet will enjoy the broadest range of inflight connectivity options available worldwide.
The Saudi Arabian Airlines announcement comes amidst mounting demand for inflight passenger communications. A growing number of commercial airlines and private aviation companies either currently offer OnAir inflight communications services or will offer them in the near future.
UK passengers get transatlantic mobile connections
British Airways and OnAir have launched inflight connectivity services on the airline's new premier business-class only service, linking London with New York. BA passengers travelling between the two major business hubs can stay connected inflight to their business, family and friends using their own mobile phones or smartphones for text messages, e-mails and Internet access.
The service, London City airport's first ever long-haul route, has the airline's most prestigious flight number, BA001 -- previously used by Concorde -- using specially configured Airbus A318s, the largest aircraft that can be flown from the airport.
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