Oct/Nov 2006

Passengers flying with Ryanair will be able to call, text, email using mobile phones and BlackBerry and Treo handheld devices from mid-2007, the company has announced. The move is seen as a further strong indicator of the growing availability of in-flight telephony.

Ryanair says its entire fleet of Boeing 737 airlines will be equipped with the Mobile OnAir mobile phone and Internet system, which will be offered on more than 360 routes serving 23 countries across Europe. It claims it will be the first European airline to offer mobile telephony of this kind to all passengers. Pricing will be in line with normal international mobile phone charges, it says.

OnAir is owned jointly by Airbus and SITA, and is a rival to systems such as Boeing's own Connexion By Boeing service. It has recently become the first distribution partner for Inmarsat's SwiftBroadband service, which offers low-cost, satellite-based links to users.

Commercial trials have already been agreed with other leading European airlines including BMI and TAP Portugal, and the first line-fit Mobile OnAir service is due to be launched by Air France early next year.

Ryanair is a substantial airline by any standards. It says by the end of March 2007 it will be operating 134 new Boeing 737-800 aircraft, and has placed firm orders for a further 100 new aircraft for delivery over the next five years.