Aircraft Interiors, Hamburg, 27 March 2012 – OnAir Wi-Fi connectivity is now available across all 21 of Emirates A380 fleet, which is the world’s largest A380 fleet. The combination of Emirates’ extensive A380 route network and OnAir’s consistent global coverage means passengers can access the Internet through their smartphones, tablets and laptops while flying all over the world.
OnAir’s inflight GSM mobile phone network will be deployed on the Emirates A380s from July this year, the first time the combined GSM mobile phone and WiFi service will be available on A380s.
“Emirates pride itself on providing a premier inflight experience and, for us, this includes connectivity for our passengers”, said Patrick Brannelly, Emirates Vice President Corporate Communications Product, Publishing, Digital and Events. “We have had excellent passenger feedback about the OnAir Wi-Fi service and look forward to more of the same from the mobile phone service.”
Internet OnAir has now been on over 5,000 Emirates A380 flights, initially as a trial before the formal service launch at the end of 2011. With average data usage per user slightly below 20MB, the SwiftBroadband-based service has proved capable of handling demand.
“We have taken two key learnings from the Internet OnAir service on Emirates’ A380s so far,” said Ian Dawkins, CEO of OnAir. “The first and more obvious is that inflight connectivity is here to stay. The second is that we can meet passengers’ requirements, even on the largest aircraft, with our SwiftBroadband service. Not only does it have the right capacity at the right cost, but also, combined with our network of regulatory authorisations and roaming agreements, we provide consistent global coverage.”
The bulk of usage is focused on social media, news and travel related sites, such as hotel, taxi and restaurant bookings, with passengers typically using the Internet during the first half of the flight.
The time of the flight has a significant impact, with 73% of usage being during the daytime. However, usage levels remain the same regardless of the day of the week. The length of the flight also has an impact, with 84% of usage on flights of over three hours.
There is an even split between the type of device passenger use to access the Internet, with 48% using a laptop or tablet and 52% using a smartphone.
OnAir’s inflight connectivity services have now been selected by six A380 operators and are currently in service on 25 A380s, as well as being available as linefit and retrofit on a wide range of Airbus and Boeing aircraft.
About Emirates
Emirates, one of the fastest growing airlines in the world, has received more than 500 international awards and accolades for excellence. Emirates flies to 122 destinations in 72 countries across six continents and is the world’s largest airline in available seat kilometres. Operating 171 wide-body Airbus and Boeing aircraft, including an industry leading 21 A380s, Emirates has orders for an additional 232 aircraft, worth more than USD$84 billion. For more information please visit www.emirates.com
About OnAir
OnAir provides industry-leading, on-board connectivity solutions that enable passengers to stay connected while they travel, and airlines and shipping lines to differentiate themselves through offering distinct services to customers. Present aboard airlines on five continents, OnAir provides the only air-travel industry sponsored solution for commercial airlines, private and corporate jets, Airbus and Boeing aircraft, and for long and short-haul flights. OnAir is the first provider of services based on SwiftBroadband, the latest high-bandwidth satellite technology from Inmarsat, which offers GSM, Mobile Data and Internet.
OnAir was incorporated in February 2005 and is owned by SITA, the leading IT solutions provider to the air transport world and Airbus, the leading aircraft manufacturer. OnAir is a member of the GSM Association and an Inmarsat Distribution Partner for SwiftBroadband services.
Today OnAir has 45 customers, of which 20 are currently in service. By the end of 2012 we expect to be in service with 24 global airlines. The company also has regulatory approvals and roaming agreements covering more than 2.2 billion GSM subscribers.
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