At present, all personal electronics devices must be turned off at altitudes below 10,000 feet, ie during taxiing, take-off and landing. The Civil Aviation Authority has previously said: "Allowing some electronic devices to be used during take-off and landing, while prohibiting others, could lead to confusion amongst passengers. Therefore, for the immediate future all PEDs should be switched off during take-off and landing."
But the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has updated its guidance on the use of portable electronic devices, including smartphones, tablets and e-readers.
The EU Transport Commissioner, Siim Kallas, said: "Today we are taking a first step to safely expand the use of in-flight electronics during taxiing, take-off and landing. Next we want to look at how to connect to the network while on board."
