Passengers will soon be able to use their mobile phones during flights without the need to switch on ‘airplane mode’, following an investigation which found that devices do not pose any threats to the safety of the aircraft.
Current regulations state that mobiles must be switched off or set to a special inflight mode while planes are up in the air, which means that no transmissions will be sent or received for the duration of the journey.
However, the EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency) has suggested that there is no risk to the plane, and has offered a new set of regulations giving permission for airlines to allow travellers to use their devices throughout the whole flight.
Each company would be able to decide its own rules but must pass a safety assessment, ensuring that the systems are not affected by transmissions in any way. Following the completion of the assessment and approval by the airline, additional equipment would need to be installed so that customers can attain a signal, as transmissions can’t be received from the altitudes typically reached during a commercial flight.
A spokesperson for the EASA has told news suppliers that the latest guidance is in place to encourage ‘gate-to-gate service’. Some airlines already allow people to use phones to scan newsfeeds and send messages when cruising in the air and even offer Wi-Fi services, but it has now been proven that they can also be used during critical points of the flight (take-off and landing).
It is believed that it will take at least two months for airlines to pass the initial safety assessments.
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