NCAA Mandates Passengers to Switch Off Phones During Flights

The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has directed all air passengers to switch off their mobile phones during flights, especially at takeoff and landing.

Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday, NCAA Director General Chris Najomo said the rule applies to all Nigerian airports and airlines. The directive comes after a recent incident involving passenger Comfort Emmanson and a flight attendant on an Ibom Air flight.

Najomo explained that the new policy aims to eliminate confusion caused by inconsistent rules across airlines.

“As a takeaway and to avoid ambiguity and confusion, all mobile phones and other portable electric devices should be switched off during the critical stages of flight on all Nigerian airlines. Switch off. Nothing like flight mode any longer,” he stated.

He also instructed all Nigerian carriers to update their official documents to reflect the requirement.

“Nigerian air operators are therefore required to amend their operators’ manuals to reflect this requirement and submit them to the NCAA for approval,” Najomo said.

The NCAA DG noted that the rule could be reviewed in the future as aircraft technology improves.

“We remain alert to future reviews of this requirement as aircraft technological enhancement improves,” he added, emphasizing that both crew and passengers share responsibility for compliance.

“It remains the responsibility of the crew to communicate this requirement to the passengers and the responsibility of the passengers to comply with crew instructions,” he concluded.