Air China Limited, the world's largest carrier by market value and also the world's most profitable airline, announced Tuesday it will launch the first Wi-Fi flight in China. The flag carrier will conduct in-flight Wi-Fi trials on a Boeing 737-800 flight departing from the Beijing Capital International Airport Friday.

The in-flight Wi-Fi service, aiming to enrich the in-flight entertainment for passengers, could be free of charge. Passengers can get access to the cabin Wi-Fi with their devices like laptops, but no terrestrial network will be available on the flight, according to the Beijing-based carrier.

The airline said that the Wi-Fi network will not affect flight safety; however, the service cannot be used during takeoff and landing.

The test flight is not the air-to-ground internet surfing in a real sense. "As it is an on-board Local Area Network, passengers can only get access to the LAN with their laptop or tablet PC, and the content could be some entertainment programs provided by the company." an Air China staff suggested.

Air China has signed an agreement with China Telecom in April to promote the in-flight Wi-Fi network as well as telephone communication technology. The air-to-ground internet communication can be realized via connection between satellites and in-flight Wi-Fi, but it might be costly.

In-Flight Net Surfing Is Expected

The announcement on Air China's micro blog caught lots of attention Tuesday. "I really expect to be able to get access to the internet during flights." said a frequent flyer. "It could affect our daily work as we can't contact with the outside world on planes. But it will be much more convenient if in-flight net surfing is available."

He also added if any carrier provides flights with a Wi-Fi network, he is willing to take their flights regardless of price.

Deutsche Lufthansa AG announced in April that they will provide the in-flight Wi-Fi service on planes to or from Shanghai within this year. Passengers can surf the web with their laptops, send messages or data with their smart phones.

United Air Lines, Inc. claimed the airline will offer Wi-Fi service on more than 200 B737s and B757s operating domestic flights in 2012. Then their passengers will be able to send email and text massages in the air.