Research In Motion and Orange are to collaborate on a new customer service system in France which will allow passengers to use their mobile phone as a tool while passing through Toulouse-Blagnac Airport.

Through the scheme, travellers will be able to make use of Near Field Communication (NFC) systems, after trials are completed this summer.

BlackBerry NFC-enabled smartphones will be used by the scheme, along with SIM card-based safety protocols, with 50 frequent flyers due to be involved in the initial trial tests.

It is hoped that a range of customer services will be offered through the collaboration. Using their phones, travellers might be able to pay for items in the airport, validate flight tickets, and get information about flight alterations and departure gates.

On arriving at the French airport, travellers' phones will also become their security passes, meaning they will gain access to a priority route through Toulouse-Blagnac.

Commenting on the tests, the airport's chief executive, Jean-Michel Vernhes, said: "With NFC technology, the mobile phone simplifies the passenger's journey through the airport."