Here's Why Passengers Are Asked To Switch-Off Phones In-Flight As It Still Poses A Major Threat

Ever wondered why we're asked to switch-off or keep OUR mobile phones on airplane mode while on a flight? A decade back, electronic magnetic signals of a handheld communication device could interfere with the aeroplane's radio. While the magnitude of this happening now has diminished, a report from 2014 says something else.

U.S officials revealed in 2014 that passenger cellphones and other types of radio signals could pose a crash threat to some models of Boeing 737 and 777 aeroplanes. 

The study showed that some cockpit screens onboard these jets are vulnerable to interference from WiFi, cell phone signals or even weather radar.

Here's Why Passengers Are Asked To Switch-Off Phones In-Flight As It Still Poses A Major Threat© YouTube

According to a new Bloomberg report, there are a few aircraft within the U.S. that still contain outdated screens and could be susceptible to interference. These display systems are built by Honeywell, but the company refutes there's no evidence that the airplanes are operational.

Interference can cause the affected units to lose critical data on airspeed and navigation. Though, the company has always maintained these reports are false.


Today, potentially hundreds of planes worldwide are still flying with the unsafe systems cited in the FAA report. Flight-critical data including airspeed, altitude and navigation could disappear and “result in loss of airplane control at an altitude insufficient for recovery,” the FAA said in the safety bulletin, known as an airworthiness directive.

The affected airplanes include 737s Next Generation model, a predecessor of the Boeing Max8. Cockpit displays on the Max were made by Rockwell Collins, now a unit of United Technologies Corp., not Honeywell. Boeing's 777s also were covered by the FAA order.

Honeywell initially told the FAA that 10,100 display units, or the equivalent of almost 1,700 planes, were affected worldwide. In addition, some planes might have been taken out of service due to age. The actual number of planes operating with faulty components couldn't be determined by Bloomberg.

Budget European carrier Ryanair hasn't upgraded its screens due to the "financial burden," but inspected its display units and replaced those with issues. Still, the radio-signal threat extends beyond that specific display system and FAA warning.


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Photo: © Reuters (Main Image)

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