AeroMobile Communications Limited is a registered mobile network operator for the aviation industry and is based in the UK. It provides technology and services that allow the safe use of passengers' own mobile phones while inflight. A subsidiary of Panasonic Avionics Corporation [1] its services are often installed alongside Panasonic's Wi-Fi network and can be installed either at the point of aircraft manufacture or retro-fitted across both Airbus and Boeing aircraft. Panasonic Avionic's Wi-Fi network and AeroMobile's mobile phone network are complimentary services and provide passengers with a choice of inflight connectivity options.
Since launching the service in March 2008, over 40 million passengers have connected to the network [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] and AeroMobile now has over 20 airline partners offering passengers inflight voice, SMS and data services on selected, connected flights. Airline partners include Emirates, Etihad, KLM, Lufthansa, SAS, Virgin Atlantic, Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific and Turkish Airlines.
In December 2015 AeroMobile launched the world's first 3.5G inflight mobile network with Air Berlin. [7] The 3.5G network provides passengers with a substantial increase in data speeds, faster browsing and quicker posts.
Date | Event | Details |
---|---|---|
September 2004 | First demonstration of GSM voice and text services over Inmarsat Aero H Satcom | At World Airline Entertainment Association Congress |
May 2005 | First demonstration of GSM voice and text services over Inmarsat Aero H on Boeing 777 | B777-200LR World Tour |
November 2005 | Public use of GSM voice and text service in-flight | B777-200LR world record flight |
April 2006 | Demonstration of GSM voice, text and GPRS services over Inmarsat Swift Broadband and Ku Band | Aircraft Interiors Expo, Hamburg |
April 2007 | First commercial service of in-flight voice, text and GPRS | On Qantas domestic B767 |
March 2008 | Launch of commercial in-flight GSM service on A340 | Emirates A340-300 Dubai to Casablanca |
August 2008 | World's first commercial in-flight GSM service on B777 | Emirates B777-300 Dubai to London Heathrow |
October 2008 | World's first commercial in-flight GSM service on A330 | Emirates A330-200 |
November 2008 | Malaysia Airlines become the first air carrier in Asia to launch trial of in-flight GSM service | Malaysia Airlines B777-200 |
December 2008 | 50,000 passengers use the AeroMobile service | December 10 on Emirates flight number EK0923 from Dubai to Cairo |
February 2009 | 100,000 passengers use the AeroMobile service | February 15 on Emirates flight number EK0404 from Dubai to Singapore |
July 2009 | AeroMobile's technology completes certification on sixth aircraft type | A340-300, A340-500, B777-200, A330-200, B777-300, B777-300ER |
February 2011 | 5,000,000th Emirates passenger switches on their phone in-flight | Emirates Airlines flight EK0097 from Dubai to Rome |
December 2011 | Virgin Atlantic launch in-flight GSK service | Ten Virgin Atlantic Airbus A330 and Six B747-400 aircraft |
June 2012 | Gulf Air launch in-flight GSM service | Six Gulf Air A330-200 aircraft |
Autumn 2012 | Over 12 million unique users use AeroMobile service | |
September 2012 | Delivery of 1st AeroMobile line-fit from Boeing | Thai Airways B777-300ER |
December 2012 | First AeroMobile flight on SAS | SAS B737 Oslo to Evenes |
December 2012 | Etihad Airways launch "Etihad Wi-Fly" including mobile connectivity by AeroMobile | Airbus A330-200 |
February 2013 | Kevin Rogers appointed CEO of AeroMobile | |
May 2013 | AeroMobile launches inflight mobile service for Air France-KLM | Two Boeing B777-300 aircraft equipped |
June 2013 | Etihad Airways rolls out AeroMobile connectivity on New York route | Boeing 777-300ER |
September 2013 | Singapore Airlines launch AeroMobile inflight mobile connectivity service | B777-300ER |
October 2013 | Aer Lingus launch inflight mobile services with AeroMobile | All seven of the airline's Airbus A330 aircraft |
January 2014 | Launch of AeroMobile connectivity on selected Qatar Airways aircraft | Selected A330-200 |
February 2014 | Lufthansa rolls out mobile phone services with AeroMobile | Selected A330s |
February 2014 | Boeing delivers first B747-8 with AeroMobile connectivity | Lufthansa B747-8 |
June 2014 | Launch of two EVA Air B777-300 aircraft with AeroMobile connectivity | Two B777-300s |
February 2015 | Launch of Etihad A380 with AeroMobile connectivity | Etihad A380 |
May 2015 | Launch of AeroMobile connectivity on selected Malindo Air aircraft | Selected B737-900 aircraft |
June 2015 | Launch of AeroMobile connectivity on selected Alitalia aircraft | Selected A330-200 aircraft |
October 2015 | Launch of AeroMobile connectivity on selected Air Serbia aircraft | Selected A319 and A320 aircraft |
December 2015 | Launch of AeroMobile connectivity on selected Air Berlin aircraft | Launch of world's first inflight 3G network! |
February 2016 | Launch of AeroMobile connectivity on selected SWISS aircraft | |
May 2016 | Launch of AeroMobile 3G connectivity on selected Eurowings aircraft | |
June 2016 | Launch of AeroMobile 3G connectivity on selected Cathay Pacific aircraft | |
October 2016 | Singapore Airlines announce the launch of 3G A350-900 | First A350 with AeroMobile connectivity |
December 2016 | Launch of AeroMobile connectivity on selected Turkish Airlines and Kuwait Airways aircraft | |
January 2017 | AeroMobile achieve the milestone of 1 Million connected flights | |
January 2018 | Launch of AeroMobile connectivity on selected Malaysia Airlines aircraft | |
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, legally Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij N.V., is the flag carrier airline of the Netherlands. KLM is headquartered in Amstelveen, with its hub at nearby Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. It is part of the Air France–KLM group, and a member of the SkyTeam airline alliance. Founded in 1919, KLM is the oldest airline in the world still operating under its original name and had 35,488 employees and a fleet of 119 as of 2015. KLM operates scheduled passenger and cargo services to 145 destinations.
Delta Air Lines, Inc., typically referred to as Delta, is one of the major airlines of the United States and a legacy carrier. It is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline, along with its subsidiaries and regional affiliates, including Delta Connection, operates over 5,400 flights daily and serves 325 destinations in 52 countries on six continents. Delta is a founding member of the SkyTeam airline alliance.
The Boeing 777 is a wide-body airliner developed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes, commonly referred to as the Triple Seven. The 777 was designed to bridge the gap between Boeing's 767 and 747, and to replace older DC-10s or L-1011s. Developed in consultation with eight major airlines, with a first meeting in January 1990, the program was launched on October 14, 1990 with a first order from United Airlines. The prototype was rolled out on April 9, 1994, and first flew on June 12, 1994. The 777 first entered commercial service with United Airlines on June 7, 1995. Longer range variants were launched on February 29, 2000 and were first delivered on April 29, 2004.
Saudia, also known as Saudi Arabian Airlines, is the national carrier airline of Saudi Arabia, based in Jeddah. The airline's main operational base is at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah. King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and King Fahd International Airport in Dammam are secondary hubs. The airline is the third largest in the Middle East in terms of revenue, behind Emirates and Qatar Airways. It operates domestic and international scheduled flights to over 85 destinations in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Europe and North America. Domestic and international charter flights are operated, mostly during the Ramadan and the Hajj season. Saudia is a member of the Arab Air Carriers Organization and joined the SkyTeam airline alliance on 29 May 2012.
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Singapore Airlines (SIA) is the flag carrier airline of Singapore with its hub at Singapore Changi Airport. The airline is notable for using the Singapore Girl as its central figure in corporate branding. It has been ranked as the world's best airline by Skytrax four times and topped Travel & Leisure's best airline rankings for more than 20 years.
Pakistan International Airlines is the national flag carrier of Pakistan under the administrative control of the Secretary to the Government of Pakistan for Aviation. Its central hub is Karachi's Jinnah International Airport, while Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore, and Islamabad International Airport serve as secondary hubs.
All Nippon Airways Co., Ltd. (ANA), also known as Zennikkū (全日空), is the largest airline in Japan by revenues and passenger numbers. Its headquarters are located in Shiodome City Center in the Shiodome area of Minato ward of Tokyo. It operates services to both domestic and international destinations and had more than 20,000 employees as of March 2016. In May 2010, ANA's total passenger traffic was up year-on-year by 7.8%, and its international services grew by 22% to 2.07 million passengers in the first five months of 2010.
Air China Limited is the flag carrier and one of the major airlines of the People's Republic of China, with its headquarters in Shunyi District, Beijing. Air China's flight operations are based primarily at Beijing Capital International Airport. In 2017, the airline carried 102 million domestic and international passengers with an average load factor of 81%.
Korean Air Co., Ltd., operating as Korean Air, is the largest airline and flag carrier of South Korea based on fleet size, international destinations and international flights. The airline's global headquarters is located in Seoul, South Korea. Korean Air was established on March 1, 1969 after the Hanjin Group acquired government-owned Korean Air Lines. Through their majority control of Hanjin KAL Corporation, the Cho family, the owner family of Hanjin Group is still the airline's largest, and controlling, shareholder. Korean Air is a founding member of the SkyTeam airline alliance.
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SriLankan Airlines is the flag carrier of Sri Lanka and a member of the Oneworld airline alliance. It is currently the largest airline in Sri Lanka by number of aircraft and destinations and was launched in 1979 as Air Lanka following the termination of operations of the original Sri Lankan flag carrier Air Ceylon. Following its partial acquisition in 1998 by Emirates, it was re-branded and introduced the current livery. In 2008 the government of Sri Lanka acquired all the shares of the airline from Emirates. After ending the Emirates partnership, it retained its re-branded name and logo. Sri Lankan Airlines operates over 560 flights per week.
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In-flight entertainment (IFE) refers to the entertainment available to aircraft passengers during a flight. In 1936, the airship Hindenburg offered passengers a piano, lounge, dining room, smoking room, and bar during the 2 1/2-day flight between Europe and America. After World War II, IFE was delivered in the form of food and drink services, along with an occasional projector movie during lengthy flights. In 1985 the first personal audio player was offered to passengers, along with noise cancelling headphones in 1989. During the 1990s, the demand for better IFE was a major factor in the design of aircraft cabins. Before then, the most a passenger could expect was a movie projected on a screen at the front of a cabin, which could be heard via a headphone socket at his or her seat. Now, in most aircraft, private IFE TV screens are offered.
SITAONAIR is a company that enables airline passengers to use their smart devices including mobile phones and laptops for calls, text messaging, emails and Internet browsing.
Gogo Business Aviation is a division of Gogo Inflight Internet is a provider of in-flight broadband Internet service and other connectivity services for business aircraft. It is headquartered in Broomfield, CO.
Gogo Inc. is a provider of in-flight broadband Internet service and other connectivity services for commercial and business aircraft, headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. 17 airlines partner with Gogo to provide in-flight WiFi, including British Airways, Aer Lingus, Iberia, Gol linhas aereas, Aeromexico, American Airlines, Air Canada, Alaska Airlines, Cathay Pacific Airways, Delta Air Lines, Japan Airlines, JTA, United Airlines, Hainan Airlines, Vietnam Airlines, Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Australia. Gogo Inc. is a holding company, operating through its two subsidiaries, Gogo LLC and Gogo Business Aviation Inc.. According to Gogo, over 2,500 commercial aircraft and 6,600 business aircraft have been equipped with its onboard Wi-Fi services. The company is also the developer of 2Ku, the new in-flight satellite-based Wi-Fi technology.
FlyNet is an onboard communication service for Lufthansa.