Airlines are on track to become the biggest industry investor in mobile technologies by 2015, aimed at service development and customer engagement, as new technologies are rolled out across fleets.

According to new research commissioned by Tata Consultancy Services by ResearchNow, Airlines are currently spending an average of $27.2 million annually and are ranked the third biggest investor in mobile services, behind energy companies and telecommunication businesses.

Investments in the use of mobile devices on flights including in-flight mobile services are expected to account for a large percentage of new investment, with airlines such as UA equipping aircraft with Wi-Fi.

Vice-president and global head of mobility at Tata, Satya Ramaswamy, said: “The criticality of attuning products, content and services to a mobile consumption model is now business-critical. We perceive that the firms which best adapt to this increasingly prevalent and influential audience segment are likely to reap significant dividends.

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