Air France gets first mobile-friendly plane

Air France has announced it is to take delivery of the first of its aircraft to offer passengers in-flight mobile connectivity.

The Airbus plane will join the Air France fleet in early 2007, the carrier said. Air France will be conducting a six-month commercial trial with passengers. The system will get its run out on short haul flights to Europe and north Africa.

The Airbus 318 will provide mobile connectivity using a system from OnAir – a joint venture between Airbus and SITA - which is designed to operate without interfering with the aircraft's navigation system. Rüdiger Fuchs, SVP Cabin & Cargo Customisation at Airbus, said he expects many more aircraft to be fitted with the mobile offering.

Other carriers have already started to experiment with mobile connectivity. TAP Portugal is also trialling the OnAir system, while American Airlines and Qualcomm gave a safety demonstration of mobile on planes back in 2004.

Many more airlines are looking at in-flight wi-fi deployments, including United Airlines and Lufthansa, the latter with a live service on trans-Atlantic flights.