Sir, I refer to a letter from Mr Kevin O'Shea from Carrigaline, Cork in The Irish Times (October 4th) regarding the use of mobile phones on board aircraft. The incident referred to was the occasion of Cityjet facilitating the passage of an injured swan, "Angel", from Dublin to London for treatment of her broken wing. The swan was injured following the recent oil spillage in Bray Harbour.
The vet, Mr Pete Wedderburn and the swan were photographed for The Irish Times on September 28th while the aircraft was on the ground at Dublin Airport. May I stress that the photograph was taken over 30 minutes before flight departure, while Mr Wedderburn was being interviewed on his mobile telephone by Dave Fanning on the Gerry Ryan Show.
Mr O'Shea is correct in his understanding of airline practices relating to the use of mobile phones during flights. Cityjet has a very strict policy regarding their use, as they can affect navigational equipment and radio communications. Pre departure inflight announcements, made by cabin crew, request that mobile phones are turned off in advance. While Mr Wedderburn was speaking on his mobile phone, our flight deck were not involved in any communication and the engines were not operating. - Yours, etc.,
Marketing manager,
Cityjet,
The Mezzanine,
Terminal Building,
Dublin Airport.