Virgin boss, Sir Richard Branson, has announced ambitious plans to overhaul the company’s in-flight entertainment system. As well as being able to use their mobile phones and access the internet whist travelling, passengers will also be able to watch live television from their seats.

Speaking in Las Vegas, where he was celebrating 10 years of Virgin connecting with the city, Sir Richard said that the airline was always searching for ways of making its in-flight entertainment better. He added that being able to watch live broadcast would certainly be a dramatic improvement.

Sir Richard made that announcement ahead of England’s clash with Algeria in the World Cup. He said that he would be in the air on his way to the Mohave Desert when the game was playing and that he would dearly love to be able to watch it whilst in flight.

Virgin Atlantic is currently working with Panasonic on the entertainment system. The airline said that it recognised live sporting events as well as live news broadcasts as the two services which passengers were most likely to appreciate.

The new system is due to be delivered next March and it is planned that over the next three years most of the Virgin fleet will undergo a refit. Virgin Atlantic’s chief executive, Steve Ridgeway, said that the service to be delivered in the air will be similar to the terrestrial services people are used to. He added that there was no reason why costs should be high, although Virgin has confirmed that it will be a pay-to-use service.