[SatNews] Air New Zealand passengers will soon be able to keep in touch on more domestic flights with the expansion of its inflight connectivity service to an additional two aircraft.

The OnAir inflight mobile phone services means passengers onboard the domestic A320 aircraft can use their mobile phones, for calls, text messaging, email and mobile data, with the service operated via satellite. The first of Air New Zealand's new domestic A320 fleet, which features an exclusive black "Crazy about Rugby" livery, was the first aircraft in the country to be equipped with OnAir services in February 2011. Two aircraft are currently offering the service on selected domestic routes, with the additional two being deployed by the end of this year. This makes Air New Zealand the first Pacific airline to roll out the services on a permanent basis. New Zealand's General Manager Airline Operations Captain David Morgan says this new technology underlines the airline's commitment to provide its customers with innovative solutions to meet their needs.