Press Release

Issued by SITAOnAir.

September 10, 2013

OnAir has revealed full details of its extensive Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) portfolio, which ensures connectivity is rapidly available on a wide range of commercial aircraft types. OnAir can provide connectivity on any aircraft, anywhere in the world, within a few months of an airline placing the order.

OnAir's STCs cover the retro fit of inflight connectivity systems on Airbus aircraft, including the A320 family types, A330s and A340s, as well as Boeing aircraft including B737s, B767s and B777s. In addition, OnAir is available as line fit on the entire Airbus fleet as well as on Boeing B777s and B787s. It is also a line fit option on selected VIP aircraft, including the Dassault Falcon 7X and Airbus Corporate Jets.

“OnAir is the most experienced inflight connectivity service provider: we have the most airline customers, across the widest geographical reach. We have also been operating both GSM and Wi-Fi for longer than anyone else,” said Véronique Blanc, chief technical officer of OnAir. “We have built an extensive STC catalogue, to complement the wide range of line fit installation options, and support our airline customers to enable OnAir services on mixed fleets.”

The STCs have been awarded by the major certification authorities across the world, including the FAA in the US, EASA in Europe, the Singapore CAA, and Japan's CAB. Importantly, existing STCs can be reused for new airline orders, or OnAir can adapt the STC to meet airlines' specific technical, cosmetic and/or maintenance requirements.

The STCs provide for the installation and activation of connectivity solutions that enable Mobile OnAir, Internet OnAir and/or OnAir Play. In line with OnAir's platform-agnostic approach, airlines have the choice between TriaGnoSys' GSMConneX solution, the small, lightweight airborne connectivity system, as well as Airbus and Thales systems, depending on their requirements.

Mobile OnAir provides a GSM network in the aircraft cabin. It is OnAir's most popular connectivity product, which works in the same way as international roaming. Passengers simply turn on their phones and start using them in the same way as normal, for email, SMS and calls.

Internet OnAir is the onboard Wi-Fi hotspot, giving passengers access to the Internet, using their phones, tablets and laptops.

“OnAir Play is our brand new product. It combines inflight connectivity with films, TV, live news, music, games, magazines and newspapers. It marks the start of a new era in how we spend our time during the flight,” continued Blanc. “On the ground the way we watch TV and films or listen to music has changed to an on-demand mentality. We can even provide passengers with regularly refreshed, time-sensitive content, such as news and sport.”