Ryanair is gearing up to come to the aid of thousands of smokers who have to wait till landing to get their fix. The airline has just announced the development of a line of “smokeless” toxin free cigarettes which can be purchased aboard their aircraft. The smoking ban on flights, which has been in affect since the early 1990s, as not been lifted, but Ryanair believes they have come up with an alternative which would offer passengers some relief from their nicotine cravings.

The budget airline will now sell their smokeless cigarettes on all Ryanair flights at £5.40 for a packet of ten cigarettes. The cigarettes, the airline says, are smokeless and odourless and although they give smokers the desired effect of smoking, they contain none of the harmful toxins of regular cigarettes. This makes them safe for the smokers as well as any passengers nearby.

The airline hopes that the cigarettes will help calm passengers heavily addicted to nicotine who tend to get moody and anxious on long haul flights. Stephen McNamara from Ryanair said that so far, the smokeless variety were selling briskly among their European customers.

The airline has said that the new product could revolutionize flying for nicotine addicted passengers, who previously had to suffer the long haul flights foregoing drags on their cigarettes. The product was developed and designed by Chris Parsons, director of Similar Smokeless Cigarettes who is thrilled that his products have been taken mainstream by the airline.

The days when nervous smokers piled quickly out of the plane making a beeline for the airport smoking lounge could now be over. The airline will be offering the cigarettes on all their flights, both domestic and international. So far, passengers who have tried them have given the cigarettes mixed reviews, but most admitted it was better than going the flight nicotine-free.