Singapore Airlines selected the in-flight connectivity system from OnAir, a joint venture between Airbus and SITA, for its fleet. The airline will roll out services as early as 2011. These will be introduced progressively on flights operated by the airline’s Airbus A380s, Airbus A340-500s and Boeing 777-300ERs. The multi-million-dollar contract includes onboard Wi-Fi Internet and mobile telephony services.
"Singapore Airlines was in fact one of the pioneers to introduce Internet connectivity on board its Boeing 747-400 aircraft in 2005. Today, with the increasing importance of staying connected, and the more affordable charges made possible by the higher usage and more advanced technology, we are now fitting all our long-range aircraft with the full suite of telephony and Internet features so that our customers can stay connected. Unlike the earlier trial introduction of an Internet service, this suite of features is for full implementation and we are pleased to offer this as an added choice to our inflight programme," said Singapore Airlines’ Senior Vice President Product & Services Yap Kim Wah.
OnAir has roaming agreements with about 200 mobile network operators globally, including the three main operators in Singapore.