Boeing has delivered the first B747-8 to be fully line-fitted with the AeroMobile inflight mobile service. The customer was Lufthansa, which will open the path for all future B747-8s to be fitted with AeroMobile connectivity. The German flag-carrier has confirmed it will roll out mobile connectivity across its entire long-haul fleet of over 100 aircraft this year, as well as the full Fly-Net offering of wi-fi and live TV and mobile.
Two aircraft types have now been cleared for AeroMobile line-fit at Boeing; the B777-300ER, with recipients including Thai Airways, Etihad Airways and Singapore Airlines, and the B747-8. AeroMobile also operates on B747-400 and B737 aircraft.
“Consumers expect to be connected 24/7 and being up in the air is no longer an exception,” said Kevin Rogers, CEO of AeroMobile. “In 2013 we saw close to an 80% increase in the number of passengers using their mobile phones in the aircraft cabin, data usage increased ten-fold and SMS traffic increased by 50%.”