Tata Docomo has partnered with Airports Authority of India (AAI) to deliver high-speed public Wi-Fi services at Trivandrum International Airport.
Wi-Fi services will be made available to passengers free of charge in the transit and lounge areas of the airport for 30 minutes, after which passengers can continue to avail the service by paying for it online.
Tharakan said that AAI manages 121 airports in the country, including 11 international airports. Thiruvananthapuram is the 11th busiest airport and handles over three million passengers every year.
Seventy per cent of these are international travellers. “We wanted to make sure that they get a similar experience as comparable to the world’s best airports in terms of services.”
‘Magic hour’ Tandon said travellers have their own ‘magic hour’ which they use to check mails, access flight information, browse the web and send messages prior to boarding their flight. This is the reason why airports require high quality and reliable public Wi-Fi services.
The Skyscanner Wi-Fi Guide says that Indian airports are ahead of European countries in Wi-Fi service. Less than half of Europe’s biggest airports offer free Wi-Fi on an unlimited basis, while most major airports of India provide access to free Wi-Fi.
Seventy-one per cent of travellers felt free Wi-Fi was important or extremely important and use it for checking social media (10 per cent); emails (22 per cent) or just passing time (30 per cent) as they wait for their flight.
SITA’s global research too has stated that air passengers are becoming increasingly reliant on social media.
Provision of airport Wi-Fi represents a top-three priority for passengers (after price comparison services and real time flight information). Tata Docomo provides Wi-Fi services in public spaces across India, most recently at Delhi’s Connaught Place.