Air India is planning to have Wi-Fi on board its Airbus A-320 planes
21 Mar 2017
National carrier Air India is planning to introduce W-Fi services in its Airbus A-320 flights by July, so that fliers will be able to send emails as they fly within the country.
Once it materialises, AI will be the first airline to offer free Wi-Fi. However AI did not specify how much data and what speed it is looking at.
Air India flies Airbus A-320 planes in most of its domestic routes and once thefacility is introduced, domestic flyers will be able to use mobile internet inside planes. Other airlines may also follow suit.
"We are working on having Wi-Fi on our planes. We have issued expression of interest and will take the aircraft manufacturer's nod to install Wi-Fi equipment. Though giving an exact date is difficult, we are aiming to start this by June or July," AI chief Ashwani Lohani said.
The airline did not elaborate on the proposal and did not specify how much data and what speed it is looking at.
Since the connection is likely to be free, it may start with a basic pack for free and later move on to paid data packs. The free basic pack will allow receiving and sending mails and checking WhatsApp.
It is understood that based on passenger feedback, Air India may go in for bigger paid data packs, as is the case internationally.
