OREANDA-NEWS. January 28, 2013. According to Aeroflot program of introducing Wi-Fi Internet access on board of its long-haul aircraft for 2013, this service will be available on 26 long-haul airplanes by the end of the year.

22 Airbus 330 and 4 Boeing 777 airliners will be connected to Internet through satellite-based onboard Wi-Fi, and on 15 of them (12 Airbus 330 and 3 Boeing 777) this service will be already available in Q1 2013.

Aeroflot long-haul fleet backbone is formed by Airbus 330, and the forthcoming delivery of new Boeing 777s will significantly strengthen the air company’s long distance flights capacities.

Aeroflot will continue introducing onboard Wi-Fi Internet program on Boeing 777 aircraft, making Wi-Fi Internet available on 6 B777 in 2014, 3 B777 in 2015 and 3 B777 in 2016.

Aeroflot is developing its inflight connectivity program in partnership with OnAir — the global inflight connectivity services provider, using Inmarsat’s satellite networks. OnAir Company was incorporated in 2005 and is owned by SITA, the global IT solutions provider to the air transport world and Airbus aircraft manufacturer.

This Wi-Fi Internet access system has been successfully tested in the sky and is already available on five Airbus 330 planes:

1. VQ-BPI "L.Yashin";

2. VQ-BPK "I.Kulibin";

3. VP-BDD "A.Mojaiskiy";

4. VP-BDE "L.Kantorovich";

5. VQ-BPJ "V.Brumel".

Aeroflot was the first Russian company to provide its passengers with on board mobile connection and Internet access.

"On Board Internet" program has being implemented in Aeroflot since 2010. By granting the access to the worldwide web through global Wi-Fi service Aeroflot marks the new stage of the mentioned program, significantly expanding the possibilities of its flying Internet users. This service is particularly popular among business travelers, who need to stay connected all the time.

"Our aim is to make Wi-Fi access available on all our long-haul aircraft. The ongoing program pursues our two key development strategy goals: to introduce the newest technologies in all spheres of our company and to enter the list of the world’s leading air carriers in the quality of passengers’ service", said Mr. Vitaly Saveliev, Aeroflot CEO.

Established in 1923 with a headquarters in Moscow, Aeroflot is Russia’s flagship airline and the largest national air company. Proudly being a member of SkyTeam global airline alliance, Aeroflot with its partnering members provides service to 1000 destinations in 187 countries. Aeroflot operates one of the most modern and youngest fleets in Europe counting 128 aircraft formed by Airbus, Boeing and Sukhoi airliners with an average airplane age of 5 years. In 2011 Aeroflot carried more than 14.2 million passengers, showing the best result in modern Russia’s history. In the same year Aeroflot was honored with as on the prestigious international SkyTrax World Airline Award as ‘The best airline in Eastern Europe’.