Air India First in India to Introduce In-Flight WiFi Internet on Domestic Flights

• Starting 1 January 2025, in-flight Wi-Fi services available on all flights operated by Air India’s A350, B787-9 and select A321neo aircraft.
• Wi-Fi is offered on a complimentary basis for an introductory period.

Air India, India’s leading global airline, has announced it has rolled out Wi-Fi internet connectivity services on board domestic and international flights operated by Airbus A350, Boeing 787-9 and select Airbus A321neo aircraft.

This makes Air India the first to offer in-flight Wi-Fi internet connectivity on flights within India, enabling travellers – flying for leisure or business – to stay connected to the internet during their flights, and to enjoy browsing, accessing social media, catching up on work, or texting friends and family.

“Connectivity is now an integral part of modern travel. For some, it is about the convenience and comfort of real-time sharing, while for others, it is about greater productivity and efficiency. Whatever be one’s purpose, we are confident that our guests will appreciate having the option of connecting to the web and enjoy the new Air India experience on board these aircraft,” said Rajesh Dogra, Chief Customer Experience Officer, Air India.

Accessible on Wi-Fi-enabled devices such as laptops, tablets, and smartphones with iOS or Android operating systems, the in-flight Wi-Fi will also allow guests to connect multiple devices simultaneously when above 10,000 feet*.

The deployment of Wi-Fi on domestic routes follows an ongoing pilot programme on international services operated by the Airbus A350, select Airbus A321 neo and Boeing B787-9 aircraft serving international destinations including New York, London, Paris and Singapore. As with the domestic offer, Wi-Fi is complimentary for an introductory period. Air India will progressively roll out the service on other aircraft in its fleet over time.

How travellers can access Wi-Fi on board Air India flights:

• Enable Wi-Fi and go to Wi-Fi settings
• Select the ‘Air India Wi-Fi’ network
• Once redirected to the Air India portal on the default browser of the device, enter the required details such as PNR and last name
• Access complimentary internet service

* In-flight Wi-Fi connections depend on factors such as satellite connectivity, overall bandwidth usage, routes, and government restrictions.

Air India Extended Its Wireless Inflight Entertainment Service to Narrowbody Fleet

Air India, India’s leading global airline, has extended its wireless inflight entertainment service, Vista Stream, to its narrowbody fleet, ensuring uninterrupted entertainment for guests.

This announcement comes in a day after Air India confirmed its purchase order of 100 more Airbus aircraft, comprising 10 widebody A350 and 90 narrowbody A320 Family aircraft, including A321neo.

Vista Stream, which debuted in August 2024, has already been introduced across Air India’s wide-body fleet (excluding the newly inducted Boeing 777 and Airbus 350 aircraft). With this update, Vista Stream will now be accessible on both widebody and narrowbody aircraft across international and domestic network.

Vista Stream enables guests to stream a wide variety of content directly to their personal electronic devices such as smart phones, tablets and laptops, offering a smooth and immersive entertainment experience.

“As we continue to transform Air India into a world-class airline, we are happy to introduce Vista Stream that enables our guests to access digital entertainment content on their personal devices during their flight. With the introduction of Vista Stream across our narrowbody fleet, uninterrupted entertainment (BYOD) service will be available throughout the entire domestic and international network,” said Rajesh Dogra, Chief Customer Experience Officer, Air India.

Guests can explore over 1600+ hours of premium curated content, from Bollywood blockbusters and Hollywood hits to captivating documentaries, classic tunes, and curated children’s program. Vista Stream also features a live map for real-time flight tracking and is compatible with iOS, Android, Windows, and macOS devices, ensuring easy access to entertainment for all throughout the flight.

AirAsia India in Partnership With Zee5 Creates History With the 1st in-flight Premiere of the Cult Show, TVF Pitchers Season 2

AirAsia India premiered TVF Pitchers: Season 2, on its in-flight experience hub ‘AirFlix’, 36,000 feet in the air, with a star-studded premiere attended by fans and the cast of the show.

AirAsia India flyers can now indulge into high octane entertainment with ZEE5, the first OTT platform, in air

Charting another milestone in a string of first-of-its-kind initiatives, AirAsia India organised an exclusive premiere of TVF Pitchers: Season 2 for its recently launched in-flight experience hub ‘AirFlix’, powered by Sugarbox and OTT partner ZEE5. To mark the occasion, the director and cast of the cult series TVF Pitchers [S2] attended the in-flight premiere on i5-784 from Delhi to Bengaluru on 22nd December. The upcoming season of 'TVF Pitchers' on ZEE5 features an ensemble cast and crew of Naveen Kasturia, Abhay Mahajan, and Arunabh Kumar directed by Vaibhav Bundhoo.

This strategic partnership with ZEE5, India’s largest homegrown OTT platform, enables AirFlix to offer a curated slate of content featuring more than 6,000 hours of high-resolution content, enabling access to more than 1,000 international and Indian movies, short films, and 1500+ episodes of web series, for an enhanced flying experience. The alliance makes Zee5 the first-ever OTT platform to be available for passengers onboard, where users can stream lag-free content. Powered by Sugarbox, with AirFlix flyers can also place in-flight orders for food and beverages, as well as shop curated e-commerce brands like Boat, Man Matters, Arata and more.

From Left to RIght - Arunabh Kumar, Naveen Kasturia, Abhay Mahajan and V..

Commenting on the new initiative, Mr. Manish Kalra, Chief Business Officer, ZEE5 India said “ZEE5 is happy to bring this industry-first initiative of making OTT content accessible to flyers for an enhanced flying experience. As a consumer first brand, ZEE5 has held audience demands at the epicentre while charting its business strategy. With this move, flyers can now enjoy ZEE5 content mid-air as part of their in-flight entertainment exposure. We are thankful to our partners AirAsia India and Sugarbox for this strategic collaboration, enabling increased accessibility to entertainment choices and going beyond with innovation for enhanced consumer experiences. We, at ZEE5, will continue to leverage our consumer-first strategy to innovate and invest in making content accessible to a wider audience base across touchpoints.”

"We are thrilled to organise a first-of-its-kind grand premiere 36,000 feet in the sky, narrowcasting the entire season of the cult show TVF Pitchers on our new in-flight experience hub AirFlix, along with the director and cast of the show. It’s been a pleasure collaborating with our technology partner Sugarbox and OTT platform ZEE5, to co-create this unique experience." said Siddhartha Butalia, Chief Marketing Officer of AirAsia India. "We are always looking for innovative ways to enhance the in-flight experience. It’s a delight to bring exclusive experiences like this to life in the air with like-minded partners."

​Rohit Paranjpe, Co-founder & CEO, Sugarbox, expressed, "AirFlix is a first of its kind initiative globally, where we are bringing the power of the Cloud to aircrafts. Using this technology, we have enabled Zee5 to be the first OTT App available for flyers in-air, without internet connectivity, and unique experiences like the premiere of TVF Pitchers S2. This convergence enables ‘AirFlix’ to offer many firsts for the tech-toting passengers today, through contextual, hyperlocal services to transform the flying experience."

The airline remains committed to driving operational excellence and an enhanced guest experience with pioneering digital and marketing initiatives like cloud-tech powered in-flight experience hub AirFlix, its award-winning website and mobile app, AI-powered conversational chatbot Tia, real-time internal aviation app RedSmart, and integration with innovative service providers to enable products like FlyPorter baggage delivery services, and seamless Single-Sign, profile management and personalisation built on the Tata NeuPass loyalty program.

About AirAsia India

AirAsia (India) Private Limited is a subsidiary of Air India Limited and a part of the Tata group. AirAsia India commenced operations on 12th June 2014 and flies over 50 direct and 100 connecting routes across India. The airline offers plush leather seats, Gourmair hot meals and a host of exclusive benefits for NeuPass loyalty members.

AirAsia India has consistently embraced technology to deliver operational efficiency and enhance the guest experience, offering fast bookings, fab deals and fantastic value on its award-winning mobile apps and website airasia.co.in, and delivering seamless support with an advanced AI-powered multilingual chatbot Tia. For the latest on AirAsia India’s innovations, promotions, activities and contests, check out AirAsia India on Twitter @AirAsiaIndia, Instagram @AirAsiaIndia, Facebook @AirAsiaIndia and LinkedIn @AirAsiaIndia.

About ZEE5

ZEE5 is India’s and Bharat’s largest homegrown video streaming platform and the multilingual storyteller for millions of entertainment seekers. ZEE5 stems from the stable of ZEE Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL), a Global Content Powerhouse. An undisputed video streaming platform of choice for consumers; it offers an expansive and diverse library of content comprising over 3,500 films; 1,750 TV shows, 700 originals and 5 lakhs+ hours of on-demand content. The content offering spread across 12 languages (English, Hindi, Bengali, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Marathi, Oriya, Bhojpuri, Gujarati, and Punjabi) includes best of Originals, Indian and International Movies, TV Shows, Music, Kids shows, Edtech, Cineplays, News, Live TV, and Health & Lifestyle. A strong deep-tech stack, stemming from its partnerships with global tech disruptors, has enabled ZEE5 to offer a seamless and hyper-personalised content viewing experience in 12 navigational languages across multiple devices, ecosystems, and operating systems.

Facebook: Facebook.com/ZEE5

Twitter: Twitter.com/ZEE5

Instagram: Instagram.com/ZEE5

LinkedIn: LinkedIn/ZEE5

About Sugarbox

Sugarbox is bringing the world its first Hyperlocal Cloud platform to support the Internet of the Future – of Connected Devices, Applications, People and Things. We are solving for deficiencies in connectivity (availability, reliability, latency and cost) and context awareness (who, where, what), by getting the Cloud closer to the End user and providing the best-in-class experiences for the Connected, Under-connected & Unconnected.

Co-founded by Rohit Paranjpe, Devang Goradia and Ripunjay Bararia in 2016, Sugarbox is reimagining Digital access. Using its patented technology platform, Sugarbox enables native Apps to function seamlessly, even when data connectivity is intermittent or unconnected. Presently, the Company works with the likes of Chennai and Hyderabad metro, Central Railways (Suburban Mumbai region) and has powered more than 300gram panchayats across Uttarakhand, Maharashtra, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Himachal Pradesh. Sugarbox is now entering the skies with the AirAsia India partnership.

AirAsia India Partners With Sugarbox to Launch ‘first in the World’ Multi-feature in-flight Experience Hub, ‘Airflix’

Bringing the power of the Cloud 36,000 feet in the sky, to offer contextual in-flight experiences, for guests

AirAsia India announced a partnership with Hyperlocal Cloud platform Sugarbox, to launch a first-of-its-kind in-flight experience hub, ‘AirFlix’. An innovative solution for digital access in the skies, ‘AirFlix’ is available across the airline’s fleet. Offering a value proposition unique to Indian skies, ‘AirFlix’ provides over 6,000 hours of high-resolution content, enabling access to 1,000+ International and Indian movies, short movies and 1,500+ web series episodes, enabling guests to stream buffer-free content from OTT Apps.

‘AirFlix’ is powered by the patented Cloud Fragment technology developed by Sugarbox, to provide fliers with digital access mimicking the internet experience, even without in-flight connectivity. ‘AirFlix’ is integrated and operates in sync with AirAsia India’s in-flight ancillary platform, enabling customers to browse the menu and place orders using their personal devices. With a speed of up to 1Gbps and storage capacity of 8TB, ‘AirFlix’ offers a host of customised options, including Games, Ed-tech content, News articles, Music, E-commerce, and much more. Guests can connect to ‘AirFlix’ by visiting www.airflix.airasia.co.in on their smartphones, tablet PCs, or laptops.

Talking about the launch, Siddhartha Butalia, Chief Marketing Officer, AirAsia India, said, "We’re excited to introduce the ‘AirFlix’ experience hub for fliers and to partner with Sugarbox on their pioneering technology platform, offering a wider and more diverse range of captivating content and a literally elevated user experience. We’re looking forward to leveraging the potential of this platform, introducing innovative features and technological integrations even beyond in-flight dining, entertainment, and shopping, and enabling personalised experiences that provide a distinct, differentiated flying experience in a hyper-competitive market.”

Speaking about the collaboration, Rohit Paranjpe, Co-founder & CEO, Sugarbox, expressed, "We are delighted to partner with AirAsia India on their journey to revolutionise the flying experience with ‘AirFlix’. This is a first of its kind initiative globally, where we are bringing the power of the Cloud to aircrafts, using Sugarbox’s patented Cloud Fragment technology. It enables ‘AirFlix’ to offer many firsts in the industry - access to OTT Apps, E-commerce, News, Podcasts and In-flight F&B ordering. This is just the beginning of unlocking limitless opportunities for consumers through contextual, hyperlocal experiences. I'm very excited with what's to come for ‘AirFlix’ and eager for fliers to start experiencing it."

Experience the #FunOfFlying with ‘AirFlix’, 36,000 feet in the air. For more information on AirFlix, visit airflix.airasia.co.in

About AirAsia India

AirAsia (India) Private Limited is a subsidiary of Air India Limited and a part of the Tata group. AirAsia India commenced operations on 12th June 2014 and flies over 50 direct and 100 connecting routes across India. The airline offers plush leather seats, hot meals and a host of exclusive benefits for NeuPass loyalty members.

AirAsia India has consistently embraced technology to deliver operational efficiency and enhance guest experiences, offering fast bookings, fab value and fantastic deals on its award-winning mobile apps and website airasia.co.in, and delivering seamless support with an advanced AI-powered multilingual chatbot Tia.

For the latest on AirAsia India’s innovations, promotions, activities and contests, check out AirAsia India on Twitter @AirAsiaIndia, Instagram @AirAsiaIndia, Facebook @AirAsiaIndia and LinkedIn @AirAsiaIndia.

About Sugarbox

Sugarbox is bringing the world its first Hyperlocal Cloud platform to support the Internet of the Future – of Connected Devices, Applications, People and Things. We are solving for deficiencies in connectivity (availability, reliability, latency and cost) and context awareness (who, where, what), by getting the Cloud closer to the End user and providing the best-in-class experiences for the Connected, Under-connected & Unconnected.

Co-founded by Rohit Paranjpe, Devang Goradia and Ripunjay Bararia in 2016, Sugarbox is reimagining Digital access. Using its patented technology platform, Sugarbox enables native Apps to function seamlessly, even when data connectivity is intermittent or unconnected. Presently, the Company works with the likes of Chennai and Hyderabad metro, Central Railways (Suburban Mumbai region) and has powered more than 300gram panchayats across Uttarakhand, Maharashtra, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Himachal Pradesh. Sugarbox is now entering the skies with the AirAsia India partnership. LinkedIn

In An India's 1st, SpiceJet Inducts Fleet of Aircraft Equipped with Onboard WiFi

In a first by any Indian aircraft carrier, budget airline SpiceJet has inducted a fleet of Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, which is equipped to provide on-board WiFi which will allow domestic flyers to surf the internet.

The airline however is waiting for the long-pending process of in-flight internet and once the regulatory and government approvals gets cleared the airline will start offering internet service to its passengers on board.

Besides being fuel-efficient, the aircraft is equipped with Satcom communication systems that will enable it to offer internet service on board once regulatory and government approvals are in place, the statement added.

On Friday, SpiceJet has inducted the first of its 205 Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft it had ordered in 2017 for $22 billion.

It was in May this year when Telecom Commission had approved in-flight connectivity, facilitating both voice and data calls and data surfing in Indian airspace.

SpiceJet chairman Ajay Singh said, "We are excited to take delivery of our very first 737 MAX 8. This is a huge milestone in SpiceJet’s journey. These new airplanes will enable us to open new routes, while reducing fuel and engineering costs, as well as emissions. The 737 MAX will dramatically reduce noise pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Passengers will benefit from a large number of premium seats and, for the first time in India, broadband internet on board.”

It is to be noted that in India, WiFi or calls in flights will not be free and the telecom department has left the pricing of these services to the airlines. The pricing could be part of ticket or charged separately to passengers.

For an instance Malaysian airline AirAsia charges about $2 for 3MB to use on roKKi Chats and $4.50 for 10MB for lightweight internet usage which doesn’t include YouTube/app downloads. roKKi is Malaysia-based provider of inflight entertainment & connectivity that offers WiFi access on selected AirAsia flights.

Source - Times of India, edreams.com

[Top Image - Travel3sixty.com]

Wi-Fi Services on Flights in India Gets Clearance

Data surfing, internet access via WiFi as well as in-flight voice calls will soon become a reality in India as the Telecom Commission on Tuesday has approved in-flight connectivity, facilitating both voice and data calls and data surfing in Indian airspace.

The implementation and operationalization of these services on flights in India will take about
3-4 months. At first, the telecom department will start the process of framing licence terms for in-flight connectivity (IFC) providers and then invite applications. Thereafter, airlines also need time to put equipments in aircrafts to provide such services.

“We will now have to create a separate category of licensees called in-flight connectivity provider. These will provide internet as well as voice services within Indian territorial airspace... in both domestic and international flights,” telecom secretary Aruna Sundararajan told reporters.

Notably, these services are permitted with minimum height restriction of 3,000 metres in Indian airspace for its compatibility with terrestrial mobile networks.

However, the WiFi or calls in flights will not be free and the telecom department will leave the pricing of these services to the airlines. The pricing could be part of ticket or charged separately to passengers.

According to experts, the cost to the passenger may be on the higher side, initially

It is to be noted that In-flight connectivity is much more expensive than on-ground connectivity, which we use in our homes and offices. Most airlines charge based on use -- whether wifi is used on phone, tablet, or laptop.

The IFC service provider are permitted to use either Indian Satellite System or foreign satellite capacity leased through Department of Space or foreign satellites outside INSAT systems in the Indian airspace.

Gogo, a popular US-based IFC service provider that gives service to 17 airlines, offers a 'monthly airlines plan', valid on domestic flights in the US, Canada and Mexico.

According to Honeywell Aerospace, the global market for connected aircraft is pegged at $7 billion, and also forecast a rapid wifi adoption by nearly 25,000 planes by 2025.

The above development was first reported in Live Mint.

Wi-Fi Services on Flights in India Gets Clearance

Data surfing, internet access via WiFi as well in-flight voice calls will soon become a reality in India as the Telecom Commission on Tuesday has approved in-flight connectivity, facilitating both voice and data calls and data surfing in Indian airspace.

The implementation and operationalization of these services on flights in India will take about
3-4 months. At first, the telecom department will start the process of framing licence terms for in-flight connectivity (IFC) providers and then invite applications. Thereafter, airlines also need time to put equipments in aircrafts to provide such services.

“We will now have to create a separate category of licencees called in-flight connectivity provider. These will provide internet as well as voice services within Indian territorial airspace... in both domestic and international flights,” telecom secretary Aruna Sundararajan told reporters.

Notably, these services are permitted with minimum height restriction of 3,000 metres in Indian airspace for its compatibility with terrestrial mobile networks.

However, the WiFi or calls in flights will not be free and the telecom department will leave the pricing of these services to the airlines. The pricing could be part of ticket or charged separately to passengers.

According to experts, the cost to the passenger may be on the higher side, initially

It is to be noted that In-flight connectivity is much more expensive than on-ground connectivity, which we use in our homes and offices. Most airlines charge based on use -- whether wifi is used on phone, tablet, or laptop.

The IFC service provider are permitted to use either Indian Satellite System or foreign satellite capacity leased through Department of Space or foreign satellites outside INSAT systems in the Indian airspace.

Gogo, a popular US-based IFC service provider that gives service to 17 airlines, offers a 'monthly airlines plan', valid on domestic flights in the US, Canada and Mexico.

According to Honeywell Aerospace, the global market for connected aircraft is pegged at $7 billion, and also forecast a rapid wifi adoption by nearly 25,000 planes by 2025.

The above development was first reported in Live Mint.