Airbus mobile system now EASA-certified

The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has granted Airbus the certification for the OnAir mobile telephony system on board its whole A320 family.

The approval granted by the agency covers all single-aisle types — the A318, A319, A320 and A321 — and follows the first individual certification that was awarded in June 2007 for one individual A318.

Airbus is the first to receive airworthiness certification for a cellphone system on board a complete family of aircraft, for both production and forward-fit installation.

With this approval, Airbus has made another significant step toward airline operation of the OnAir service that allows passengers to use their BlackBerry-type and mobile phones to send and receive e-mails and text messages, and to make and receive voice calls.

The OnAir service, which started with Air France in December 2007, was subsequently introduced on an A319 from TAP Air Portugal, and will be soon available almost all over the world.