Yesterday was a big day for people who love to talk on their phone. Emirates flight EK751 was the first commercial flight to offer (legal) mobile phone coverage at cruising altitude.

Using equipment from AeroMobile, Emirates has equipped their Airbus A340 with the necessary hardware to offer an in-flight GSM base station and air to ground communications for voice and text messaging.

20th March, 2008 - The world’s first authorised in-flight mobile phone calls on a commercial flight took place today following the successful installation of the AeroMobile system by Emirates Airline.

The calls took place on Emirates flight EK751 flying between Dubai and Casablanca following the granting of full approval from aviation authorities.

AeroMobile’s equipment allows passengers the convenience of safely using their personal mobile phones during flights, and has been rigorously tested during the approvals process in the past year.

Emirates, the innovative Dubai-based international carrier, has guidelines for the appropriate use of phones on board, including requesting passengers to have their phones switched to “silent” mode during the flights. The airline’s award-winning cabin crew will also be able to monitor use of the system and will be in full control of its use throughout flights.

It always amazes me how we’ve been tricked into thinking that keeping your phone on during the flight would mean instant death, but when there is money to be made for the airlines it’s suddenly not that much of an issue.

According to AeroMobile:

The cost of making a call and sending a text message is comparable with international GSM roaming tariffs.

Which could be anywhere between $0.25 and $8 per minute…