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France's national carrier has become the first airline in the world to ease restrictions on using mobile telephones during flights.

Passengers travelling on one of Air France's Airbus A318 routes will now be able to send text messages and access their email inboxes under the trial scheme, which will be expanded in three months' time to permit telephone calls.

The airline insists that the service will be regulated to maintain the well-being and comfort of its passengers and it says the scheme will be reviewed in six months after collecting feedback from customers.

Patrick Roux, executive vice president of marketing at Air France, explained that the company was seeking to strike a balance between being at the forefront of technological innovation and protecting the tranquility of its in-flight environment.

Benoit Debains, chief executive of the onboard mobile telephony network OnAir, added: 'This marks an important phase in the implementation of a new generation of in-flight services and we are confident that this trial will define the future standards in terms of in-flight passenger communication.'

The EU gave approval for in-flight telephone calls in September, insisting mobile phone signals no longer pose a threat to commercial aircraft.

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