Air Astana mulls launching Internet in aircraft

Air Astana is considering the possibility of making the Internet available on-board its aircraft, Tengrinews reports referring to the airline's press-service. The Kazakhstan airline company has promised to study the option. "It is a complex and expensive technological procedure. We are not planning to offer Internet access on board the new Boeing 767," a representative of Air Astana said. The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) developed new requirements and looking for ways to certify use of cellular phones onboard. The new rules will allow passengers of EU airlines to use mobile phones during the whole flight. Besides, the Air Astana representative pointed out that some changes in the Kazakhstan legislation would be required before the Internet can be made available onboard. According to the current wording of the Kazakhstan law On Use of Kazakhstan's Air Space and Aviation Activity, use of cellular and trunking networks is prohibited at all stages of the flight and use of communication electronics and high-frequency devices is prohibited during taxiing, take-off and landing. "We understand, that availability of the communication during flight is very important for some passengers, especially businesspeople. However, the company's goal is to make all the passengers feel comfortable during flight. That is why we will first study the airline market once the ban on cellular communication on-board aircraft is lifted. Our main concert is that the new opportunity does not infringe on the peace and comfort of the passengers. We will have to watchfully control use of mobile phones by the passengers, especially during long night flights, to avoid conflict among our passengers," the representative of the airline company explained. By Asemgul Kassenova