CAAC right to end electronic devices ban

A CIVIL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION OF CHINA OFFICIAL said on Monday that the ban on the use of portable electronic devices on aircraft will be lifted starting Oct 1, allowing airlines to decide how to implement the rule on the basis of their own security assessments. Thepaper.cn commented on Tuesday:

The latest revision in the management of portable electronic devices on aircraft probably means passengers will be free to use mobile electronic devices on Chinese flights. In 1999, China's aviation authority banned the use of any portable electronic devices on planes, because wireless signals were considered a hazard to flight safety.

Whether passengers should be allowed to use electronic devices on a flight has been debated ever since. Those arguing for the unrestricted use of electronic gadgets say that airlines in the West have given the green light to it as long as the devices are in flight mode. Even the United States, which proposed and carried through the ban on personal electronic devices on planes, officially annulled the restriction three years ago.