WASHINGTON: US aviation officials are considering easing restrictions on the use of personal electronics like smartphones, laptop computers and e-readers aboard airplanes, a spokesman said.
An advisory panel is meeting behind closed doors on Tuesday and Wednesday to finalize its recommendations for the Federal Aviation Administration by the end of this month, according to the FAA.
“The FAA recognizes consumers are intensely interested in the use of personal electronics aboard aircraft,” a spokesman said in an e-mail.
“That is why we tasked a government-industry group to examine the safety issues and the feasibility of changing the current restrictions.”
According to current regulations, passengers are asked to turn off personal electronic devices for takeoff and landing.
The ban on sending and receiving e-mails, making calls and using Wi-Fi is based on concerns that the communications might interfere with a plane’s navigation systems.
Experts say many of these concerns are outdated, particularly since the FAA last year allowed airlines to replace paper flight manuals in the cockpit with tablet computers.
Phone calls aboard planes are banned by a separate entity, the Federal Communications Commission, and would not be subject to change by the FAA.
Captain Sean Cassidy, a pilot for Alaska Airlines, said he supports the quest for solid science on consumer electronics use in flight.
“We’ve heard an awful lot of rumors about potential interference but I think taking a very deliberate data-driven approach is a good thing,” Cassidy said.
He also said he has never experienced any technical problems due to passenger devices.
“I have not. Not on the flight deck and I have thousands and thousands of hours, but of course the other thing to take into account — as a matter of practice and standards — we weren’t allowed to have electronic devices turned on and energized while we were flying around.”
Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill, a leading advocate for wider use of personal electronics in flight, wrote the FAA in 2012 urging a policy change.
“The public is growing increasingly skeptical of prohibitions on the use of many electronic devices during the full duration of a flight, while at the same time using such devices in increasing numbers,” she said.
“The fear of devices that operate on electricity is dated, at best.”
The FAA convened the advisory panel last year to review the evidence and update the rules. A final recommendation is expected by the end of September.
“We will wait for the group to finish its work before we determine next steps,” the FAA spokesman said.
Personal electronics on flights: Changes planned
Personal electronics on flights: Changes planned
Free trade negotiations between GCC, India mark new phase of partnership, says sec-gen
RIYADH: The Gulf Cooperation Council’s secretary-general affirmed that the negotiations for a free trade agreement between the GCC and India, and the signing of the joint statement, represents a new phase of strategic partnership.
Jasem Mohamed Al-Budaiwi said that this contributes to enhancing close cooperation and strengthening economic and trade ties, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
This came during the signing ceremony of the joint statement on launching the free trade agreement negotiations between the Al-Budaiwi and India’s Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal, which took place in New Delhi, on Tuesday.
During the signing ceremony, Al-Budaiwi said that the Terms of Reference, signed on Feb. 5, provide a comprehensive and clear framework for these negotiations. The two nations agreed to discuss enhancing cooperation in vital strategic areas, including trade in goods, customs procedures, and services.
Additionally, the framework covers Sanitary and Phytosanitary measures, intellectual property rights, cooperation on Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises, along with other topics of mutual interest. This reflects the comprehensive nature of the agreement and its ability to keep pace with the future economy.
Al-Budaiwi expressed hope that these negotiations would lead to a comprehensive and ambitious free trade agreement that works to remove customs and non-customs barriers, enhance the flow of quality investments in both directions, and achieve further liberalization in trade and investment cooperation between the GCC and India for mutual benefit.
This would provide a stimulating economic environment and an investment climate that opens broad horizons for the business sector, supports supply chains, and accelerates the pace of economic growth in line with the ambitious developmental visions of the GCC states.
The top official affirmed the full readiness of the General Secretariat to host the first round of negotiations at its headquarters in Riyadh during the second half of this year.
The two sides held a meeting during which they reviewed the existing cooperation relations between the GCC and India and discussed ways to develop and elevate them to broader horizons, serving mutual interests and enhancing opportunities for strategic partnership between the two sides, particularly in the economic, investment, and trade fields.
They praised the role undertaken by the negotiating teams from both sides, appreciating the efforts contributing to reaching a comprehensive agreement that enhances economic integration and supports the smooth flow of trade between the two nations.
