In a major announcement, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has mandated that all mobile phones and portable electronic devices must be completely switched off during flight take-off and landing.
The new regulation effectively eliminates the use of “airplane mode” for all Nigerian airlines.
This ban comes after an incident involving Ibom Air and Miss Comfort Emmanson. Miss Emmanson allegedly assaulted the air hostess after she was told to switch of her mobile phone.
The Director General of the NCAA, Captain Chris Najomo, made the declaration at a stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja. He emphasized that there is “nothing like flight mode any longer” and that all devices “must be switched off.”
“All mobile phones, I repeat, all mobile phones and other portable electronic devices should be switched off during at least the critical phase of flight on all Nigerian airlines,” he said.
Rejecting the use of flight mode, he stressed, “There’s nothing like flight mode any longer. Phones must be switched off.”
He also stated that Nigerian air operators are now required to update their operations manuals to reflect this new directive.
“Nigerian air operators are therefore required to amend their operations manual to reflect this requirement and submit to the NCAA for approval, if different from this resolution.”
He announced a series of tough measures to address the growing trend of unruly passenger behaviour across the country’s airports, warning that the era of “business as usual” is over.
The authority is also planning public enlightenment campaigns to educate travelers on their responsibilities while flying.
“We’re going to go on air. We’ll make sure that we take all these preambles of informing passengers, going further of their responsibilities, and going further, things will not be as usual as what it is. If you’re unruly, you’re unruly, he stated.
“So, you see, we have a new beginning from where we are. It will not be as business as usual. I can assure you that. It will not. And I want to also tell the airline operators here, we are going to start checking that you would do the adequate training.”
This policy change is part of a series of stricter measures by the NCAA to address rising incidents of unruly passenger behavior and to enforce greater compliance with aviation security protocols.
