OnAir
Encyclopedia
Incorporated in February 2005, OnAir is a joint venture
with SITA
and Airbus
. OnAir is headquartered in Geneva
, Switzerland
, and has operations in Seattle and Montreal
and sales offices in London
, Kuala Lumpur
and Dubai
.
OnAir enables airline
and cruise ship
passengers to use their mobile phones and laptops for calls, text messaging, emails and Internet browsing.
By February 2011, OnAir’s services were available on over 20 customers, including 11 airlines flying over five continents.
, mobile phone
s and smartphone
s, as well as the airline’s in-seat equipment, to communicate inflight, just as they do on the ground. Passengers can make and receive calls on their mobile phones, send and receive text messages and emails and use the Internet
.
OnAir was the first company to provide integrated GSM and inflight wifi services, with Oman Air
as the launch airline in March 2010.
OnAir’s technology has been certified for use on many types of aircraft – both private and commercial jets including Boeing
and Airbus
– for short and long haul. In most cases, it is available for linefit or retrofit.
system. 90% of the on board equipment can be used with any radio link, for example other satellite networks or an air-to-ground link. There is also a clear upgrade path from SwiftBroadband to Inmarsat’s Ka-band, which will come on stream in 2013.
Airlines: Air France
- Trial in an A318 - 2007-2008 TAP Portugal
- Trial in an A319 - 2008 Qantas
- A380 (late 2008) British Midland Airways - Trial in an A320 - 2009 Ryanair
- Boeing 737 - Service started Feb-2009, ended March 2010 Shenzhen Airlines
- Boeing 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 - 2009 Oman Air
- A330 - 2009 -Oman Air
was the first to take OnAir’s integrated GSM and inflight wifi service TAM Airlines - A320 (2008) First aircraft launched in October 2010. Expansion to another 26 aircraft announced in February 2011, all to be operational by the end of 2011. British Airways
- A318 (only from City Airport
to JFK
) - Mid 2009 Air Asia - A320 - Mid 2009 Hong Kong Airlines - A330 - Mid 2009 Qatar Airways
- A320 (End 2009) - Boeing 787 (May 2010) Saudi Arabian Airlines
- A330 - Mid 2010 Emirates (airline) - plans to use OnAir across a fleet of 90 A380 airliners, with service beginning in June 2012. Announced at 2010 Farnborough airshow. Egypt Air - A330 (2010) Libyan Airlines - A320 & A330 (2010) Afriqiyah Airways
- A319, A320 & A330 (2010) Singapore Airlines
- A320 & A330 (2010) - plans to use OnAir across its fleet of A380, B777, A340-500 – starting first half of 2011. Announced in Oct. 2010 Aeroflot
– A320, A330 (2010) Air New Zealand
– A320 (2011)
Cruise ship operators: Hapag-Lloyd
- MS EUROPA (2010)
Private jet operators: Comlux the Aviation Group - A320 Prestige (2010) & A319 CJ (2011) Dasnair - Falcon 7X (2011)
Joint venture
A joint venture is a business agreement in which parties agree to develop, for a finite time, a new entity and new assets by contributing equity. They exercise control over the enterprise and consequently share revenues, expenses and assets...
with SITA
SITA
SITA is a multinational information technology company specialising in providing IT and telecommunication services to the air transport industry...
and Airbus
Airbus
Airbus SAS is an aircraft manufacturing subsidiary of EADS, a European aerospace company. Based in Blagnac, France, surburb of Toulouse, and with significant activity across Europe, the company produces around half of the world's jet airliners....
. OnAir is headquartered in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, and has operations in Seattle and Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
and sales offices in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
and Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
.
OnAir enables airline
Airline
An airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...
and cruise ship
Cruise ship
A cruise ship or cruise liner is a passenger ship used for pleasure voyages, where the voyage itself and the ship's amenities are part of the experience, as well as the different destinations along the way...
passengers to use their mobile phones and laptops for calls, text messaging, emails and Internet browsing.
By February 2011, OnAir’s services were available on over 20 customers, including 11 airlines flying over five continents.
Services
OnAir services enable passengers to use their own portable electronic devices, including laptop computersLaptop
A laptop, also called a notebook, is a personal computer for mobile use. A laptop integrates most of the typical components of a desktop computer, including a display, a keyboard, a pointing device and speakers into a single unit...
, mobile phone
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
s and smartphone
Smartphone
A smartphone is a high-end mobile phone built on a mobile computing platform, with more advanced computing ability and connectivity than a contemporary feature phone. The first smartphones were devices that mainly combined the functions of a personal digital assistant and a mobile phone or camera...
s, as well as the airline’s in-seat equipment, to communicate inflight, just as they do on the ground. Passengers can make and receive calls on their mobile phones, send and receive text messages and emails and use the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
.
OnAir was the first company to provide integrated GSM and inflight wifi services, with Oman Air
Oman Air
Oman Air is the national airline of Oman. Based on the grounds of Muscat International Airport in Muscat, it operates scheduled domestic and international passenger services, as well as regional air taxi and charter flights. Its main base is Muscat International Airport. Oman Air is a member of...
as the launch airline in March 2010.
OnAir’s technology has been certified for use on many types of aircraft – both private and commercial jets including Boeing
Boeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
and Airbus
Airbus
Airbus SAS is an aircraft manufacturing subsidiary of EADS, a European aerospace company. Based in Blagnac, France, surburb of Toulouse, and with significant activity across Europe, the company produces around half of the world's jet airliners....
– for short and long haul. In most cases, it is available for linefit or retrofit.
Technology
This service currently uses Inmarsat’s SwiftBroadbandSwiftBroadBand
SwiftBroadband is an IP-based packet-switched satellite communications network that provides a symmetric ‘always-on’ data connection of up to 432kbps per channel for aircraft.-Details:...
system. 90% of the on board equipment can be used with any radio link, for example other satellite networks or an air-to-ground link. There is also a clear upgrade path from SwiftBroadband to Inmarsat’s Ka-band, which will come on stream in 2013.
Customers
OnAir's customers which have been publicly announced are:Airlines: Air France
Air France
Air France , stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the French flag carrier headquartered in Tremblay-en-France, , and is one of the world's largest airlines. It is a subsidiary of the Air France-KLM Group and a founding member of the SkyTeam global airline alliance...
- Trial in an A318 - 2007-2008 TAP Portugal
TAP Portugal
TAP Portugal, commonly known as TAP, is the national airline of Portugal. It has its head office in Building 25 on the grounds of Portela Airport in Lisbon, and has been a member of the Star Alliance since 14 March 2005, the same day on which the company celebrated its 60th anniversary...
- Trial in an A319 - 2008 Qantas
Qantas
Qantas Airways Limited is the flag carrier of Australia. The name was originally "QANTAS", an initialism for "Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services". Nicknamed "The Flying Kangaroo", the airline is based in Sydney, with its main hub at Sydney Airport...
- A380 (late 2008) British Midland Airways - Trial in an A320 - 2009 Ryanair
Ryanair
Ryanair is an Irish low-cost airline. Its head office is at Dublin Airport and its primary operational bases at Dublin Airport and London Stansted Airport....
- Boeing 737 - Service started Feb-2009, ended March 2010 Shenzhen Airlines
Shenzhen Airlines
Shenzhen Airlines is a domestic and international airlines headquartered in Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport in Bao'an District, Shenzhen, Guangdong, People's Republic of China....
- Boeing 737 and A320 - Mid-2009 Wataniya Airways
Wataniya Airways
Wataniya Airways was a publicly traded company on the Kuwait Stock Exchange, Wataniya Airways' hub was the exclusive Sheikh Saad Terminal in Kuwait while its corporate headquarters in Kuwait International Airport, Al Farwaniyah Governorate, Kuwait. The airline was founded in 2006 and received an...
- A320 - Service started Jan. 2009 Air Blue - A320 - Mid-2009 Kingfisher Airlines
Kingfisher Airlines
Kingfisher Airlines is an airline group based in India. Its head office is Kingfisher House in Vile Parle , Mumbai. Kingfisher Airlines, through its parent company United Breweries Group, has a 50% stake in low-cost carrier Kingfisher Red....
- A330 and A340 - Mid-2009 Royal Jordanian
Royal Jordanian
Royal Jordanian Airlines is the flag carrier of Jordan with its head office in Amman, Jordan, operating scheduled international services over four continents from its main base at Queen Alia International Airport at Amman Jordan. Royal Jordanian is a member of the Arab Air Carriers Organization...
- A320 (2008) and A340 (2009) Jazeera Airways
Jazeera Airways
Jazeera Airways K.S.C is a low-fare airline with its head office on the grounds of Kuwait International Airport in Al Farwaniyah Governorate, Kuwait. It operates scheduled services to the Middle East and Europe. Its main base is Kuwait International Airport...
- A320 - 2009 Oman Air
Oman Air
Oman Air is the national airline of Oman. Based on the grounds of Muscat International Airport in Muscat, it operates scheduled domestic and international passenger services, as well as regional air taxi and charter flights. Its main base is Muscat International Airport. Oman Air is a member of...
- A330 - 2009 -Oman Air
Oman Air
Oman Air is the national airline of Oman. Based on the grounds of Muscat International Airport in Muscat, it operates scheduled domestic and international passenger services, as well as regional air taxi and charter flights. Its main base is Muscat International Airport. Oman Air is a member of...
was the first to take OnAir’s integrated GSM and inflight wifi service TAM Airlines - A320 (2008) First aircraft launched in October 2010. Expansion to another 26 aircraft announced in February 2011, all to be operational by the end of 2011. British Airways
British Airways
British Airways is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom, based in Waterside, near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport. British Airways is the largest airline in the UK based on fleet size, international flights and international destinations...
- A318 (only from City Airport
London City Airport
London City Airport is a single-runway airport. It principally serves the financial district of London and is located on a former Docklands site, east of the City of London, opposite the London Regatta Centre, in the London Borough of Newham in east London. It was developed by the engineering...
to JFK
John F. Kennedy International Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport is an international airport located in the borough of Queens in New York City, about southeast of Lower Manhattan. It is the busiest international air passenger gateway to the United States, handling more international traffic than any other airport in North...
) - Mid 2009 Air Asia - A320 - Mid 2009 Hong Kong Airlines - A330 - Mid 2009 Qatar Airways
Qatar Airways
Qatar Airways Company Q.C.S.C. , operating as Qatar Airways, is the flag carrier of Qatar. Headquartered in the Qatar Airways Tower in Doha, it operates a hub-and-spoke network, linking over 100 international destinations from its base in Doha, using a fleet of over 100 aircraft...
- A320 (End 2009) - Boeing 787 (May 2010) Saudi Arabian Airlines
Saudi Arabian Airlines
Saudi Arabian Airlines is the flag carrier airline of Saudi Arabia, based in Jeddah. It operates domestic and international scheduled flights to over 90 destinations in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Europe and North America...
- A330 - Mid 2010 Emirates (airline) - plans to use OnAir across a fleet of 90 A380 airliners, with service beginning in June 2012. Announced at 2010 Farnborough airshow. Egypt Air - A330 (2010) Libyan Airlines - A320 & A330 (2010) Afriqiyah Airways
Afriqiyah Airways
Afriqiyah Airways is an airline based in Tripoli, Libya. It operated domestic services between Tripoli and Benghazi and international scheduled services to over 25 countries in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East...
- A319, A320 & A330 (2010) Singapore Airlines
Singapore Airlines
Singapore Airlines Limited is the flag carrier airline of Singapore. Singapore Airlines operates a hub at Changi Airport and has a strong presence in the Southeast Asia, East Asia, South Asia, and "Kangaroo Route" markets...
- A320 & A330 (2010) - plans to use OnAir across its fleet of A380, B777, A340-500 – starting first half of 2011. Announced in Oct. 2010 Aeroflot
Aeroflot
OJSC AeroflotRussian Airlines , commonly known as Aeroflot , is the flag carrier and largest airline of the Russian Federation, based on passengers carried per year...
– A320, A330 (2010) Air New Zealand
Air New Zealand
Air New Zealand Limited is the national airline and flag carrier of New Zealand. Based in Auckland, New Zealand, the airline operates scheduled passenger flights to 26 domestic destinations and 24 international destinations in 15 countries across Asia, Europe, North America and Oceania, and is...
– A320 (2011)
Cruise ship operators: Hapag-Lloyd
Hapag-Lloyd
Hapag-Lloyd is a German transportation company comprising a cargo container shipping line, Hapag-Lloyd AG, which in turn owns other subsidiaries such as Hapag-Lloyd Ships and a cruise line, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises which is now integrated into TUI AG, Hanover...
- MS EUROPA (2010)
Private jet operators: Comlux the Aviation Group - A320 Prestige (2010) & A319 CJ (2011) Dasnair - Falcon 7X (2011)
See also
- AircellAircellAircell is a private company started in 1991 developing broadband for both private and commercial aviation. Aircell is the only company in the United States authorized by the Federal Communications Commission and Federal Aviation Administration to use frequencies in the 800 MHz band for...
- Row 44Row 44Row 44 is a Westlake Village, California-based company providing in-flight broadband connectivity for the passengers, cockpit and crew of commercial aircraft...
- Swift Broadband by InmarsatInmarsatInmarsat plc is a British satellite telecommunications company, offering global, mobile services. It provides telephony and data services to users worldwide, via portable or mobile terminals which communicate to ground stations through eleven geostationary telecommunications satellites...
- Connexion by BoeingConnexion by BoeingConnexion by Boeing was an in-flight online Internet connectivity service from Boeing. This service allowed travellers to access a high-speed internet connection while on board a plane in flight through a wired Ethernet or a wireless 802.11 Wi-Fi connection. Connexion by Boeing was formed as a...
- AeroMobileAeroMobileAeroMobile was established as a joint venture between ARINC and Telenor in 2006 and since January 2010, AeroMobile is a wholly owned subsidiary of Telenor...