The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has ruled portable electronic devices (PED), including mobile phones, do not pose any risk to aircraft safety.
The revised guidance allows passengers to use their mobile phones and other PEDs throughout the flight without putting them into airplane mode.
EASA said that this is the latest regulatory step towards enabling the ability to offer ‘gate-to-gate’ telecommunication or WiFi services.
The current rule requires passengers to keep their mobiles in airplane mode during takeoff and landing. Though EASA has cleared the use of PEDs, the decision to allow or not will rest with the airline companies. EASA said in a statement: "In order to do this, the airline will have to go through an assessment process, ensuring aircraft systems are not affected in any way by the transmission signals from the PEDs.
"For this reason, there may be differences among airlines whether and when PEDs can be used."
In 2013, the agency granted permission to airline companies to use PEDs for most of the flight duration. It has been working towards narrowing the gap of mobile usage amongst airlines and other mode of transportation.
The Telegraph reported EASA spokesperson Ilias Maragakis as saying: "The bits at the beginning and the end are critical phases. You want to make sure that safety is not compromised in any way."
