London - Ryanair Thursday became the first low-cost airline to launch an in-flight mobile phone service that will eventually be extended to its entire fleet of more than
170 planes, the Irish carrier said.

The system, available initially on 20 aircraft, would be extended to the entire fleet over the next 18 months, following authorization from European Union (EU) regulators.

Calls would cost between 1.50 pounds and 3 pounds (2.15 and 4.30 dollars) a minute, with text messages costing about 40 pence and e-mails between 1 and 2 pounds.

"This service will allow passengers to keep in touch with the office, family or friends. We expect customer demand for this service to grow rapidly," said Ryanair chief Michael O'Leary.

A number of European airlines, including Air France-KLM, BA and bmi are currently testing similar schemes, while Lufthansa has ruled out using the service. (dpa)