Human Rights Activist, Omoyele Sowore, has criticised the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) for maintaining its directive that passengers must completely switch off mobile phones during flights.
Sowore noted that as far back as 2013, the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), after extensive testing, confirmed that electronic devices in airplane mode pose no safety risk to aircraft navigation or communication during takeoff and landing. He added that the only restrictions still in place in the U.S. relate to in-flight voice calls, which are regulated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) over network interference concerns, not aviation safety.
He accused the NCAA of clinging to “stone-age compliance” by citing vague safety reasons, despite global evidence showing that such rules are outdated. Sowore alleged that the same regulators who insist on the policy also allow airlines to skip routine maintenance.
According to him, Nigerian airlines should by now be offering internet services to passengers rather than enforcing obsolete practices that inconvenience travelers
