Do you have to use airplane mode on a plane in Europe?
Not always. EASA allows European airlines to let passengers keep their phones on and transmitting throughout the flight, once the airline has shown its aircraft are not affected, and the European Commission has opened frequencies for mobile services on board, 5G included. But each airline decides, and the crew can restrict devices at any time. If the crew asks for airplane mode, that is the rule on that flight.
See the Europe packTwo different EU decisions, two different questions
The rules on phones in the air answer two separate questions, and two different EU bodies answer them. The first is safety: can a phone that is transmitting interfere with the aircraft? That belongs to EASA, the EU aviation safety agency, which sets what airlines must prove before letting passengers use their devices. The second is radio spectrum: which frequencies may a mobile network on board use? That belongs to the European Commission, which reserved frequencies for mobile communications on aircraft and later updated its decision to add 5G.
Neither decision obliges an airline to do anything. EASA makes it possible for an airline to allow phones; the Commission makes it possible for an airline to install a mobile service on board. Whether your flight does either depends on the airline and, often, on the aircraft. That is why the answer to the question in the title is a rule plus an exception.
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What EASA allows, and what it leaves to the airline
EASA's definitions are a useful starting point. A mobile phone is an intentional transmitter: it sends radio signals as part of its job. Switching on flight mode removes that transmitting capability, and the phone becomes an ordinary electronic device. Under EASA's provisions, once an airline has shown that its aircraft can safely handle interference from these devices, it may allow passengers to use them, transmitting or not.
May is the key word. EASA says applying its provisions is not mandatory, that any airline may have a more restrictive policy, and that the airline decides which device may be used during which phases of flight. Phone calls are a separate decision, again for the airline, depending on technical conditions. The provisions apply only to European airlines; a non-European airline follows the rules of its own country's aviation authority, even on a flight to or from Europe.
Why the crew still has the last word
Even on an airline that allows phones throughout the flight, the permission is conditional. EASA gives an example: at certain moments, such as a landing in reduced visibility, the crew may ask passengers to turn their devices off to make sure they cannot interfere with the aircraft's communications and navigation equipment. It adds that the crew has the right to restrict devices at any time according to the airline's policy, and that passengers shall follow the crew's instructions at all times.
One rule did not change at all. Bulky items such as laptops still have to be stowed during taxiing, take-off and landing, so they cannot injure anyone in an abrupt movement or block an evacuation. In practice, the announcement before departure on your flight is the rule you follow, and it can differ from what the same airline said on your last trip.
5G on board: what the Commission decision does
For years, a Commission implementing decision has reserved frequencies for mobile communications on planes, covering messaging, calls and data. Its update added 5G alongside the earlier generations, so that passengers on equipped aircraft can use their phones to the full of their capacity and features. The Commission describes how it works: special network equipment inside the cabin, called a pico-cell, connects passengers' phones and routes calls, texts and data, typically via a satellite network, to the ground-based mobile network.
Two technical conditions in the EU framework shape what you see. The system may only transmit at least 3,000 metres above the ground, so it is a service for the cruise, not for take-off or landing. And the on-board equipment includes a network control unit, whose purpose is to stop phones on the aircraft from trying to register with mobile networks on the ground.
Allowed is not the same as free
Keeping your phone on during the flight can have a cost that airplane mode avoids. The EU's Your Europe portal says you should not be charged extra for using your phone on a plane or ship while it is connected to a land-based network, but that when mobile services are provided via satellite systems, EU rules no longer apply. Those are non-regulated roaming services, with no price caps.
The on-board network the Commission describes is exactly that case: a mobile service carried by satellite. Your Europe's advice is to deactivate roaming on your device or turn on flight mode while on board. If you want to stay connected in the air, the plane's Wi-Fi is a separate service with its own conditions, explained in our guide on how in-flight Wi-Fi works.
With a travel eSIM next to your usual line
Airplane mode switches off every line at once, the travel eSIM included; what stays on and what waits is covered in our article on eSIMs and airplane mode. If the airline lets you keep the phone on, two settings matter. Turn off data roaming on your usual line, as in our guide on roaming on your home line, because that is the line an on-board network can bill. The travel eSIM is meant for the ground networks of the country or countries it covers, so do not count on it in the air.
Timing is the other point. A Snoozim plan starts counting at its first connection in a country it covers. If you fly from one covered country to another, for example with the Europe pack from Madrid to Rome, leave data roaming off on the eSIM until you land, so that first connection happens in Rome and not at the gate.
Is it against the rules not to use airplane mode on a European flight?
Not in itself. EASA lets each airline decide once it has shown its aircraft are not affected, but you must always follow the crew's instructions, and that includes switching to airplane mode if they ask.
Can I make phone calls on a flight in Europe?
Only if the airline allows it. EASA says the airline decides on calls on board depending on technical conditions.
Does 5G on planes mean my phone works in the air like on the ground?
Only on equipped aircraft whose airline offers the service. It runs through an on-board pico-cell, typically via satellite, and the EU says satellite-provided services fall outside EU roaming rules, with no price caps.
Will my travel eSIM start counting if I leave the phone on during the flight?
It starts at the first connection in a country it covers. A single-country pack will not connect elsewhere; with the Europe pack, keep its data roaming off until you land if you leave from a covered country.
Get your eSIM before you fly: the QR arrives by email in minutes and the plan only starts when you connect at your destination.
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