AeroMobile today announced Emirates as the world's first airline to introduce in-flight mobile phone use for passengers. AeroMobile allows passengers the choice and convenience of safely using their own mobile phones in flight to stay in contact with family, friends and colleagues by phone and text messaging. AeroMobile, based in Crawley, West Sussex, has developed an aircraft system which controls the power output of all mobile phones down to the minimum level allowing their safe use onboard aircraft.

The Dubai-based airline expects to launch the service on board one of its Boeing 777s as early as January 2007, once all necessary approvals have been granted.

AeroMobile’s aircraft system includes a number of features that will allow users to talk or text discreetly and maintain the privacy of other passengers. This includes the ability for cabin crew to control the system at any time, plus select operating modes appropriate to particular flights. For example, crew may disable voice service and select text only operation mode for overnight flights.

Passengers will be instructed and encouraged to switch phones to silent or vibrate mode at all times throughout the flight. Up to five calls may be made at at any one time, the same number as for the current in-seat phones used regularly by Emirates' passengers.

Emirates chairman and chief executive H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum said: “As the world leader in innovation for our customers, we are delighted to offer the choice of mobile phone use to passengers who would like to make contact with friends, family or colleagues while flying with us.

Emirates and AeroMobile plan to add GPRS data and internet capability to the system the Inmarsat satellite communications systems are upgraded later in 2007. This will allow the use of BlackBerrys, Palm Treos and mobile data-enabled PDAs and laptop PCs for email and Internet access from the aircraft.