European aircraft manufacturer Airbus has won approval from the  regulators to start offering an in-flight mobile phone service.

Airbus confirmed that the European Aviation Safety Agency has approved plans for an on-board GSM service, which could begin within the next few months.

Already flight operators Air France-KLM, British Midland and RyanAir are understood to be readying plans to go live. Passengers will be able to make mobile calls, as well as send and receive text messages and emails.

Previously, passengers have been required to turn off mobile devices when aboard planes ostensibly because of fears that mobile devices could interfere with flight equipment. But some commentators believe that these fears were overplayed; the real difficulty has been ensuring that in-flight systems do not interfere with ground-based services.

The European decision “paves the way for the subsequent worldwide deployment of cell phone services and Internet-based services across all Airbus aircraft,” said Rainer von Borstel, a senior VP at Airbus.

RyanAir is already weel advanced with its planning. Last year it unveiled plans to equip its entire fleet of Boeing 737s with picocells – tiny on-board base stations – which will provide satellite links to allow in-flight calling.

Nevertheless, fears over already-overcrowded cabins being worsened by packs of braying salesmen may not come to pass: most of the systems being proposed will allow cabin staff to turn off the voice capability, ensuring that some degree of in-flight tranquility might be preserved.