The use of electronic cigarettes has just been formally banned for flights taking off or landing in the United States.
Patch and chewing gum will be the only two nicotine substitutes available for heavy smokers who cannot survive on a transatlantic flight. Since Wednesday, the US Department of Transportation has formally banned the electronic cigarette on board planes to and from the United States.
“This final decision is important because it protects passengers from unwanted exposure to aerosol vapors, which are expired when electronic cigarettes are used on board,” said US Transportation Minister Anthony Foxx. “The ministry has taken a practical approach to eliminate confusion between tobacco and e-cigarettes, applying the same restrictions to both,” he said.
To get everyone to agree
The restrictions will be entered in the Federal Official Journal to clarify the texts. Current regulations did not yet specify what “smoking” meant in the existing ban, leaving vaping in doubt.
Despite the administrative vagueness, airlines had already often taken measures to ban the use of e-cigarettes on board. Among them, Air France, which specifies on its site that “the use of electronic cigarettes is prohibited on board flights. Indeed, the water vapor emitted by these devices is likely to trigger the smoke detectors. “
Risk of battery explosion
Electronic cigarettes are still authorized in the cabin – as long as their owners do not use them – but recharging them is prohibited. The risk of explosion from lithium batteries present in devices has prompted the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to take this precaution. It is also forbidden to store them in checked bags. Exposed to extreme temperature and pressure conditions, they can cause fires.
Earlier this year, a Hawaiian Airlines plane had to land in an emergency following the triggering of the fire alarm in the hold. An electronic cigarette had probably started a fire in a suitcase, and the pilot must have activated the extinguishing system.
.
