Mobile phone use allowed on planes

Passengers could soon be using their mobile phones on planes flying through European airspace.

Plans have been developed across EU countries to introduce technology which permits mobile calls without risk of interference with aircraft systems.

Regulators around Europe are calling for consultation on the potential introduction of the technology.

If given the go ahead, the service would allow calls to be made when a plane is more than 3,000 metres high.

Individual airlines would need to decide if they wanted to introduce the technology, if the green light is given by national regulators.

A spokeswoman for Virgin Atlantic said the airline was "watching developments closely".

She said: "We are monitoring customer demand and will act if they say they want to use their mobile phones."

She added: "If we were to introduce this service in the future we want to ensure we do it in a socially acceptable way."

The European Union has recommended to member states that the plan go ahead and space on the airwaves has been reserved for the technology.

The cost of making a mobile phone call from a plane will be higher than making one from the ground. In the UK, regulator Ofcom said it would investigate and address any evidence of "excessive charges and abuses of competition" if prices were set unfairly by airlines and mobile networks.