Air France, the French flag-carrier has turned out to be the first carrier to offer international travellers the facility of sending text messages and emails with the help of commonly used mobile phone technology.

On the 17th of December, the airline has started a six-month trial on a single plane on the Paris to Warsaw route. This would be trial and if it comes out to be successful, the airlines may have mobile phones on all the routes. Later, more air carriers can also adopt the technology.

The airline is using an Airbus A318 toffer its services on this route, which is fitted out with an onboard cell tower that enables the mobile phones to work through a satellite network without misleading the navigational equipment.

The technology, which has been approved by the European Aviation Safety Authority is being provide by a mobile provider owned by Airbus, OnAir.

In the first half of the trial, passengers will only be able to send text messages and use the internet, while in the second phase, passengers will be able to make and receive calls using mobile phones. This is thought to be in dispute, as many are against this concept.

The carrier will wait to look for seeing the response of passengers to the service before going ahead with its idea.

Ryanair-the Irish low-cost carrier is also interested in offering in-flight mobile services to its customers.