Emirates airline to enable in-flight mobile phone use

Under the $27m (£14m) deal with the AeroMobile company, Emirates hopes to be the first airline to offer voice and text phone services charged in line with international roaming rates on all its flights. The plans, however, remain subject to regulatory safety approval.

Emirates, whose routes include London-Dubai, plans to introduce the new facility on one of its Boeing 777s in January. The service will then be extended to the entire fleet.

To minimise nuisance, passengers will be encouraged to switch phones to silent or vibrate mode and cabin crew will ensure that phones are switched to text-only mode during night flights.

The onboard technology will limit the number of calls on a flight at any time to five, the same as for Emirates' existing in-seat phones.

Emirates chairman and chief executive, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, said: "The option of mobile phone use will be available under guidelines that recognise and respect the privacy of all our customers.

"Our customers are already making more than 6,000 calls a month from our in-seat phones, so we will be making life easier for those for whom staying in touch using their mobile phone has become an indispensable part of their everyday lives. Our research tells us our customers would appreciate the option of staying in touch in this way."

The AeroMobile technology lets mobile phones operate at their minimum power settings, making them safe to use on aircraft. Emirates plans to add GPRS data and internet capability as soon as the necessary satellite communications systems are upgraded later next year.

In August, budget carrier Ryanair announced a deal with rival technology partner OnAir to enable passengers to call, text and email on their mobile phones and email devices from mid-2007. Ryanair plans to equip its entire fleet by the end of 2008. OnAir systems will also be tested in single-aircraft trials with Air France, BMI and TAP Air Portugal in 2007.