Flyers will now be able to access Internet onboard a plane, as the central government on Monday (March 2) permitted airlines operating in India to provide in-flight Wi-Fi services to passengers, according to official notification.
The notification said, “The Pilot-in-Command may permit the access of Internet services by passengers on board an aircraft in flight, through Wi-Fi onboard, when laptop, smartphone, tablet, smartwatch, e-reader or a point of sale device is used in flight mode or airplane mode.”
It further said, “Provided that the Director-General shall certify the aircraft for usage of internet service in-flight through Wi-Fi onboard subject to the procedures as specified in this behalf.”
On last Friday, Vistara CEO Leslie Thng had told media that Vistara would be the first plane in India to provide in-flight Wi-Fi services while taking the delivery of its first Boeing 787-9 aircraft at Everett.
Vistara has partnered with the Tata group company Nelco for in-flight data services, which would soon be rolled by the full-service carrier. Vistara, which is a joint venture between Tatas and Singapore Airlines, is likely to be the first domestic carrier to provide inflight connectivity within India.
In the year 2018, the Indian telecom regulator had recommended that both Internet and mobile communications on board aircraft (MCA) service should be permitted as In-Flight Connectivity (IFC) in the Indian airspace.
So far, domestic flights did not have Wi-Fi on board, but foreign airlines also had to switch off ‘in-flight connectivity via WiFi’ once they entered the Indian airspace