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legal interception will be possible, and it is possible. This will be addressed in the revised proposal,” the official said.

Wireless internet on aircraft is provided through an on-board router which is connected to the aircraft’s antenna. These antennae pick internet signals to send and receive data from satellites and this communication channel does not interfere with the ground-to-air communication channel used by pilots for conducting air traffic conversations. Experts suggest that while only a few devices with functioning cellular service do not interfere with the aircraft’s communication systems, a large number of devices searching for cellular signals might.

However, most smartphones today offer Wi-fi option, which is the only requisite to connect to the airline’s Wi-fi system even when the device is on airplane mode, meaning its cellular radio is turned off.

Currently, a number of foreign airlines offer in-flight internet connectivity to their passengers but are not allowed to do so when they enter Indian airspace. The existing Indian Telegraph Act says that the Centre may grant a license, in consideration of payments as it thinks fit to, may allow establishment of “wireless telegraphs on ships within Indian territorial waters (and on aircraft within or above [India] or Indian territorial waters)...” provided that the government prepares rules under the Act.

The international in-flight connectivity market was pegged to be a $2.45-billion market in 2016 and is expected to grow at a compounded annual growth rate of 13.5 per cent and reach $4.62 billion by year 2021, according to estimates by Scalar Market Research. The International Air Transport Association (IATA), in its Global Passenger Survey 2016 said that if Wi-fi was made available onboard, 30 per cent of the passengers would use them to send and receive emails, while 23 per cent of them would use it for instant messaging, and 22 per cent would browse the internet.

Globally, several airlines are considering removing their in-flight entertainment systems to save installation and maintenance costs on their aircraft and replacing them with on-board Wi-fi, which passengers could access with their own devices.

In India, some airlines offer restricted wireless services, which passengers may use to access the airline’s entertainment offering through their own devices. Some aviation experts have also pegged in-flight connectivity to be an important ancillary revenue stream for airlines.