The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has issued a stringent new directive requiring all mobile phones and electronic devices to be completely powered off during aircraft take-off and landing, effectively banning the use of “airplane mode.”
The announcement was made via an official statement from Michael Achimugu, the NCAA’s Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, on Tuesday. Achimugu stated that the regulation was unified following an emergency meeting with industry stakeholders.
“All phones must be switched off—not just set to airplane mode—during the critical phases of takeoff and landing,” Achimugu stated. “All airlines are required to amend their safety and security programmes to comply with this directive immediately.”
He clarified that the use of airplane mode is no longer permitted until a future review of the regulations, which will account for “evolving technological situations.”
This policy shift comes in the wake of a recent disruptive incident aboard an Ibom Air flight from Uyo to Lagos on August 10. A passenger, Comfort Emmanson, was allegedly involved in an altercation that began when she refused to comply with instructions to switch off her mobile phone before take-off. Videos of the incident, which showed Emmanson assaulting a flight attendant and confronting security personnel, were widely circulated on social media.
Emmanson was subsequently arraigned, remanded at the Kirikiri correctional facility, and later released following the intervention of the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo. The incident is believed to have catalyzed the NCAA’s move to standardize and enforce a stricter safety protocol across all Nigerian airlines.