Kuwait-based Wataniya Airways, a full-service airline, is offering passengers mobile inflight passenger communications services from OnAir.
The new commercial service, which will be available across Wataniya Airways’ fleet of Airbus A320 aircraft, took to the sky Saturday onboard a flight from Kuwait to Dubai.
With the new Mobile OnAir service, Wataniya Airways passengers can stay connected inflight using their own mobile phones or BlackBerry-type devices to send and receive text messages and emails, and access the internet. Internet access is also possible from their laptops fitted with GSM data cards.
“Passengers travelling with Wataniya Airways appreciate the opportunity to stay in touch while they fly, particularly given today’s rapidly changing economic environment,” said George Cooper, CEO of Wataniya Airways. “Through our partnership with OnAir, we are delighted to provide our passengers with the industry’s most advanced mobile inflight passenger communications services – including Inmarsat SwiftBroadband services, which we are the first to offer in the region.”
A growing number of commercial airlines either currently offer OnAir inflight communications services or plan to offer them in the near future. These include AirAsia, Airblue, BA, bmi, Jazeera Airways, Kingfisher, Oman Air, Royal Jordanian, Ryanair, Shenzhen Airlines, TAM and TAP. OnAir also serves private VIP and Governmental customers through partnerships with Airbus Corporate Jets, Aviation Centre Cologne and Jet Aviation.
Wataniya Airways CEO, George Cooper also said the airline has ambitious growth plans, “The flights to Dubai will be followed soon by additional popular destinations in the region, including Bahrain and Beirut in March, as our fleet of A320 aircraft expands.”