Hong Kong Airlines and OnAir now have an agreement to install full Mobile OnAir and Internet OnAir inflight passenger communications services on their new fleet of twin-aisle Airbus A330 aircraft – four A330-200 and six A330-300 — these will be delivered starting November 2010 and will operate on routes in South-East Asia, China and North America.
Hong Kong Airline 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 emails, and access the Internet. Using the Internet OnAir service, passengers will be able to access the Internet just as they do on the ground by connecting their laptops either wirelessly or via a wired connection. With OnAir providing both GSM/GPRS as well as Wi-Fi Internet, Hong Kong Airlines’ passengers will have the broadest range of inflight connectivity options available anywhere in the world today.
Mobile OnAir uses the industry’s most advanced and extensive infrastructure for mobile communications, along with Inmarsat SwiftBroadband, high capacity services from Inmarsat 4G satellites. This gives Hong Kong Airlines’ passengers the best reach and performance available today. Passengers can use Mobile OnAir to stay in touch as they fly on over 8,000 flights each month, to over 240 cities in over 50 countries across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. OnAir has operated more than 22,000 fully connected SwiftBroadband flights to date and has signed agreements with more than 15 airlines worldwide. The 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. OnAir also serves corporate jets, private VIP and Governmental customers.
