Emirates’ inflight mobile phone service provider AeroMobile is expected to register its five millionth user this week. The airline said it has seen a 38 per cent increase in passengers switching on their mobile phones and connecting to the service in the last 12 months.

The AeroMobile system allows passengers to use their own mobile phones to make and receive phone calls and text messages from Emirates aircraft in flight, just as they would on the ground. Over 220 Emirates flights per day currently offer the AeroMobile service.

During the last year Emirates witnessed a 42 per cent growth in passengers sending and receiving SMS from their phone and an 11 per cent growth in phone calls. Throughout this period, customers also continued to use Emirates’ existing in-seat phone and messaging services.

In 2010 the highest number of phones switched on during a single flight was 227, with up to 65 per cent of passengers often switching on their phones.  Adding to its already robust in-flight offering Emirates will soon introduce a GPRS data capability allowing the use of BlackBerry type devices on some aircraft.

Currently Emirates has 85 aircraft installed with the AeroMobile system, operating to over 85 destinations.

Emirates operates flights on a daily schedule from Malta to Dubai via Larnaca, Cyprus.