SITAONAIR

Incorporated in February 2005, OnAir is a joint venture with SITA and Airbus. It also included technology from Tenzing Communications which merged its operations into the new company. OnAir is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and has operations in Seattle, London and Montreal. It was announced that in 2007 the Airbus A318 fleet of Air France, all TAP Portugal Airbus A320 and all Ryanair airplanes will have trials of this service. Air France trial started on December 17 2007 in Europe. Since then, TAP Portugal started its trials in a single A319.

Services

OnAir services enable passengers to use their own portable electronic devices, including laptop computers, mobile phones and smartphones, as well as the airline’s in-seat equipment, to communicate inflight, just as they do on the ground. The services are designed for both Airbus and Boeing aircraft.

This new service is limited to use the Inmarsat Satellites, with high speed services using the broadband satellite receivers from Inmarsat's fourth-generation (4G) system. However, the satellites were not launched until March 2005 ( I4 F1 ), November 2005 ( I4 F2 ) and planned April 2008 for the final Pacific Ocean Region, I4 F3.

OnAir is picked by Kingfisher Airlines to provide in-flight mobile phone and internet services for its longhaul flights, starting Mid 2009

Customers

• Air France - Trial in an A318 - Trial completed in 2008
• TAP Portugal - Trial in an A319
• British Midland Airways - Trial in an A320
• Ryanair - 737 - Service started Feb-2009
• Shenzhen Airlines - 737 and A320 - Mid-2009
• Wataniya Airways - A320 - Service started Jan. 2009
• Air Blue - A320 - Mid-2009
• Kingfisher Airlines - A330 and A340 - Mid-2009
• Royal Jordanian - A320 (2008) and A340 (2009)
• Jazeera Airways - A320 - 2008
• Oman Air - A330 - 2009
• TAM Airlines - A320

See also

• Aircell
• Row 44
• Swift Broadband by Inmarsat
• Connexion by Boeing

External links

• www.aeromobile.net
• Seattle Times (July 21, 2004) on Tenzing, SITA, Airbus venture
• www.onair.aero
• Inmarsat Press release on final I4 Launch plans for 2008
• Sita Announcement on Kingfisher airlines as possible launch customer