To add to this discussion....
I'm a pilot myself here in Australia.
My understanding is that the only times when it is illegal to smoke on an aircraft is during take-off, landing, or during refuelling operations. At other times, it is legal, if authorised by the pilot in command.
To the best of my knowledge, there have never been any significant accidents/incidents involving cigarettes in flight.
Smoking is prohibited airside (ie. on the tarmac, basically anywhere on the runway side of the fence) due to the presence of aviation fuel, for obvious reasons.
Our company policy is not to allow smoking in the aircraft. Apart from the times I mentioned, it is certainly legal to smoke in an aircraft, although most companies do prohibit it.
A few disclaimers though...
- I would need to check the various Civil Aviation Regulations to get the exact letter of the law, I'm at home right now, all that stuff is back at work.
- The legislation may be different outside of Australia.
- International flights would come under the influence of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), and could very well be different (although I suspect this is not the case).
- While I had to learn about the regulations, I'm a bit rusty, so take it all with a grain of
salt. It's easier for me to just act as if smoking is banned, and then run out to the other side of the fence as soon as I land and crank up a smoke.
I have been puffing away in the cockpit since I got my e-cig on Monday. If you think passengers are the only ones bugged by long flights with no nicotine, you'd be wrong!
