By Ayomide Otitoju
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has directed all airline passengers in the country to completely switch off their mobile phones and portable electronic devices during takeoff and landing.
NCAA Director-General, Chris Najomo, announced the new measure at a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday, saying it was aimed at eliminating confusion over inconsistent airline rules and preventing further inflight incidents.
“As a takeaway and to avoid ambiguity and confusion, all mobile phones and other portable electric devices should be switched off during the critical stage of flight on all Nigerian airlines. Nothing like flight mode any longer,” Najomo said.
The directive follows a recent altercation involving a passenger, Comfort Emmanson, and a flight attendant on an Ibom Air aircraft, which raised concerns over passenger compliance with flight safety protocols.
Najomo said all Nigerian carriers must amend their operating manuals to reflect the new rule and submit them to the NCAA for approval. He added that the requirement may be reviewed in the future as aircraft technology advances.
“It remains the responsibility of the crew to communicate this requirement to the passengers and the responsibility of the passenger to comply with crew instructions,” he said.
