London 20 Dec (ANA) - US and British spies have been listening in on mobile phone calls and data transfers made on passenger jets for ten years, it has been claimed. Air France was targeted early on in the interceptions by US National Security Agency (NSA) and its British counterpart, GCHQ, according to a report. The French flag-carrier was believed to have been selected at the time because it was seen as a terrorist target and it carried out tests in 2007 on allowing the use of mobile phones on its aircraft. The claims were made in France's Le Monde newspaper and the investigative website The Intercept, citing documents from former U.S. spy agency contractor Edward Snowden. 'The use of mobile phones with internet connections in the sky gave rise to the creation of specific programs at the NSA and GCHQ,' said Le Monde, which has access to Snowden's archive in partnership with The Intercept. While it is not normally possible to make phone calls on planes, some carriers allow passengers to connect to a cabin wifi, allowing them to use internet-based functions on their handsets. In 2012, at least 27 airlines allowed passengers to use mobile phones on board, including British Airways, Aeroflot, Etihad, Cathay Pacific, Lufthansa and Singapore Airlines.(ANA)

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