Mobile phones coming to the A380
Passengers will be able to use mobile phones aboard the world's largest fleet of A380s -- owned by Emirates -- from July this year.
The Dubai-based airline, which owns 21 A380 'superjumbos', confirmed the roll-out March 27, revealing that it has now completed the installation of wifi equipment on board all of the aircraft.
The GSM mobile phone service will allow passengers to send texts and make and receive calls and will be the first time that mobile telephone and internet connectivity is available on an A380 aircraft, Emirates said.
Currently, the primary use of internet connectivity was for social media, news and travel-related sites such as hotel bookings, the airline revealed, with the majority of passengers connecting if the flight was over three hours.
The overwhelming usage of news and social network sites was also noted by German carrier Lufthansa last year, in usage of its Flynet onboard internet service.
Emirates made the announcement at the Aircraft Interiors Expo, which runs through March 29.
