Air passengers can now use portable electronic devices such as mobiles, laptops and tablets in all phases of flight, the Directorate General Civil Aviation (DGCA) said on Wednesday.
In a notice, the air regulator said, “The DGCA has amended its Civil Aviation Requirement [CAR]...relating to air safety today and decided to allow the use of Portable Electronic Devices (PEDs) including cellphones. The use of PEDs shall be in the non-transmitting mode commonly called flight/airplane mode”.
With the implementation of the new CAR, flyers will be able to turn on their devices in ‘flight mode’.The permission comes in the wake of a request from scheduled operators who had, at a meeting with the DGCA on April 17, raised the demand for allowing the use of PEDs during all phases of flight in the flight/airplane mode.
The DGCA examined their demand in the context of the regulations of the U.S. regulator Federal Aviation Administration and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, both of which allow the use of PEDs in flight mode in all phases of a flight.
The aviation regulator has also laid down training guidelines for the flight crew on handling this new facility.
All airlines will have to report to the DGCA cases of suspected or confirmed PED interference or smoke or fire caused by them, the notice said.
India is now among the few countries that allow the use of cell phones in flight mode. British Airways was the first in Europe to allow the use of cellphones in flight mode during takeoff and landing beginning December last.
