EMIRATES AND AIR FRANCE are leading the aviation world's headlong rush to allow the in-flight use of mobile phones.
Both UK telecoms watchdog, Ofcom and, latterly, the European authorities, have given the go-ahead for systems that allow passengers to use their own mobiles at altitudes above 3,000 metres.
Airlines will still have to win approval from other European regulators such as the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), and Britain's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
Here in the UK, bmi is expected to be among the first to install MCA (mobile communications on aircraft) systems, even though an Institute of Directors (IoD) survey - which bmi sponsored - showed that the majority of business travellers don't want them.
Only 48 per cent of IoD business traveller members thought on-board phone use would be a service improvement, and only 38 per cent believed it would encourage them to do more work in-flight.
Opponents of the new development will be pleased to note the systems are controlled from the flight-deck, so if calls do become a nuisance, the flight crew can cut everyone off. The systems, which send phone signals to the ground via geostationary satellites, can also only handle a few calls at a time.
According to Emirates, "the first authorised mobile phone call made from a commercial flight" was made at 30,000ft en route to Casablanca, on board an Emirates' Airbus A340-300 aircraft - the first in the airline's fleet to be equipped with the AeroMobite system. The airline will be investing around US$27 million to kit out its entire fleet.
Air France then announced it is trialling in-flight voice calls - in addition to text messages and e-mails - thus creating "the first in-flight mobile phone service to offer the full range of mobile communications services".
The airline, which is working with specialist company OnAir, says it is so far the only service which allows passengers to download email attachments in-flight.
There is no official word yet on call charges, although they are expected to be higher than the £5-a-minute average cost of using airlines' own in-flight phones.