­UAE based airline, Emirates says that it has become the first airline to offer in-flight phone calls on board an Airbus A380 aircraft.

In partnership with Emirates connectivity partner, OnAir, passengers aboard Emirates' A380 aircraft will now be able to stay in touch via phone calls or through the mobile data link on their personal devices. The service is in addition to the OnAir WiFi service already available on Emirates A380 aircraft.

The OnAir system allows passengers to use their own mobile phones to make and receive phone calls and text messages from Emirates A380 aircraft inflight, just as they would on the ground, using EDGE/GPRS connections through their mobile service provider.

Emirates first A380 equipped with the full suite of OnAir connectivity departed from Dubai international Airport to Munich International Airport on 2 October and the first recorded A380 inflight call was placed to China while the aircraft cruised at 11,500 metres flying across the Gulf.