An experienced airline pilot has issued a stark warning to passengers who disregard instructions to switch their mobile phones to aeroplane mode, revealing the genuine safety implications behind this common airline rule.
The Collective Risk of Active Phones
Savina Paül, an Airbus A330 captain, explained that while a single mobile device causes no noticeable issue, the combined effect of hundreds is a different matter. She emphasised that modern aircraft are essentially sophisticated computers, with systems highly sensitive to external electrical interference.
"One phone is fine, but all of them at once isn't," Captain Paül stated during an appearance on the Spanish podcast ‘Supersónicos Anónimos’. She urged passengers to "Listen to us when we ask you to switch your mobile phone to airplane mode", confirming it is a legitimate safety measure, not merely a convenience for cabin crew.
Critical Moments: The Category 3 Approach
The risk escalates significantly during specific phases of flight, particularly during high-precision approaches. In aviation, these are known as Category 3 approaches, or 'autoland', operations where instrumentation is critical and requires perfect functionality.
"One mobile phone switched on does nothing, but 300 mobile phones at once, especially during a high-precision approach, can cause interference," the pilot elaborated. She clarified that this interference is not typically through radio signals, as many assume, but directly with the aircraft's sensitive instruments.
Real-World Incidents and System Alerts
Captain Paül provided a tangible example of how this interference manifests, citing incidents that occur even after landing. "While taxiing, suddenly a fault warning 'master caution' appears and then disappears," she described. "Sometimes this is because people turn on their mobile phones as soon as they land."
She reiterated that the plane is a complex computer system where even minor errors can trigger momentary alerts in the control systems. Her advice is to keep devices in aeroplane mode for the entire flight, regardless of its duration, and to wait a few minutes after landing before reactivating them.
In a TikTok excerpt from the podcast, she made a final appeal to travellers: "If travellers are listening to this, please don’t ignore us regarding airplane mode on phones. It may seem silly, but it’s not." Her message underscores that passenger compliance is a key component of modern aviation safety.
