Following the lead set by the US Federal Aviation Administration, Taiwan’s Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) announced yesterday that it will push for a legal amendment to allow passengers to use electronic devices throughout their entire flight.
The primary aim is to grant the CAA authority to adjust regulations on its own, based on prevalent international practice instead of requiring amendments in the legislature for each change, it said.
The CAA would then move to the use of laptops, tablets and other devices that do not emit specific radio signals.
Mobile phones would have to be switched to airplane mode, with calls allowed only before takeoff or after landing, the agency said.
The US Federal Aviation Administration said that after months of study, it has decided to allow the use of approved electronics gate-to-gate, which is a change from current requirements for those devices to remain off until the plane reaches an altitude of 10,000 feet (3,048m). The ban on cellphone calls during the flight will remain on US carriers and passengers will still be prohibited from accessing the Internet once the plane doors have been closed and until its Wi-Fi network has been turned on, usually at or above 10,000 feet.
The changes in Taiwan will not take effect until after the proposed amendment receives approval from the legislature.
Until then, passengers are still prohibited from using electronics until the plane reaches an altitude of 10,000 feet, the CAA reminded travelers.
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