Bmi, one of the UK’s largest airlines, is set to introduce in-flight mobile phone usage now that the OnAir service has been given certification for use on Airbus A320 aircraft.
OnAir, a joint venture between Airbus and IT provider SITA, was granted permission by the European Aviation Safety Authority (EASA) earlier this year, meaning that passengers will be able to use mobiles and devices like BlackBerrys during flights (as reported by Cheapflights).
French flag-carrier Air France is set to introduce the service from this month, and bmi is looking to begin tests on flights later on this year.
A spokesman for the airline told The Times: “We’ll be trialling the system to see how it sits with our passengers. If the service works, and our passengers like it, we’ll look at fitting the technology throughout the fleet.”
Low-cost leader Ryanair is also looking at fitting the OnAir system too, having already placed an order, and British Airways could join up as well.
The system could only be available above 9,000 feet (four minutes after take-off, and until ten minutes before landing).
Service providers suggest that, if chattering mobile users aggravate other passengers, charges could be hiked so that mobiles will only be used sparingly.
