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Lufthansa to bring satellite-based Wi-Fi to short-haul fleet from October

Lufthansa airplanes are parked on the tarmac during a strike by cabin crew union (UFO) at Frankfurt airport, Germany, November 13, 2015. REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski/Files

BERLIN (Reuters) - Lufthansa will roll out satellite-based broadband onboard short-haul flights starting from October, it said on Monday, as customers increasingly demand to stay connected in the air. Airlines across the world are moving to satellite-based Internet services, prompting a scramble for customers by communication providers. The technology on board the Lufthansa flights is being provided in cooperation with partner Inmarsat and its Global Xpress network. Lufthansa says its fleet of narrow-body A320 planes is expected to have the technology installed by mid-2018, while other Lufthansa Group airlines will follow at a later date. Lufthansa already offers broadband onboard all its 107 Lufthansa-branded long-haul aircraft. (Reporting by Victoria Bryan, editing by David Evans)