Commercial aircraft Wi-Fi. Photo: MultiVu

AirMedia Group, an operator of out-of-home advertising platforms in China targeting mid-to-high-end consumers as well as a player in the travel Wi-Fi market, revealed that Beijing Yuehang Tianyi Electronic Information Technology, a subsidiary of the company, has signed strategic cooperation agreements with Qingdao Airlines, Chengdu Airlines, and Yunnan Hongtu Airlines.

The agreements with the airlines outlined plans to establish collaborations including the deployment of Wi-Fi systems onboard airplanes, operational management of air-to-ground satellite communications, development and management of air-to-ground internet platforms, operational management of in-flight multimedia entertainment and other emerging value-added in-flight Internet services.

“These collaborations with the airlines consolidate our efforts in shaping our strategies to meet the advent of a new era of in-flight connectivity, an area where our early planning identified strategic importance,” said AirMedia Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Herman Man Guo. “As part of our early planning, we established the first regional satellite network in China enabling commercial satellite communications over China, the rest of Asia-Pacific, and North America, and developed a comprehensive solution based on the Gilat dual-band antenna tailored to growing commercial applications of the first KA satellite launched by China Satellite Communication.”

Currently, AirMedia is pursuing an airworthiness certificate in China, the U.S., and Europe.