Did you know that it has been a decade since passengers have been allowed to make and receive calls as well as send SMS from their own mobile phones?
Mobile phone connectivity is not entirely new as Emirates first allowed it on board its craft on March 20, 2008. The inaugural phone call was made on Emirates flight EK751 from Dubai to Casablanca. Since then over 2.8 million calls have been made, 60 percent of which were made from the aircraft, while over a million calls were answered by passengers traveling on Emirates.
The longest call recorded was on a flight from Orlando to Dubai on February 5, 2018 lasting 3 hours and 50 minutes.
Over the last 10 years, 87 million SMS messages have also been sent or received.
Besides allowing mobile phone use inflight in 2008, Emirates was also the first airline to install TV screens in every seat on every aircraft in its fleet in 1992. Today, the airline provides one of the most comprehensive and state-of-the-art entertainment and communications services in the skies.
As part of its recent expansion of the Wi-Fi offering on board, Emirates Skywards members enjoy special benefits depending on their membership tier and class of travel, including free Wi-Fi when traveling in First Class or Business Class.
