FAA Expands Electronic Flight Bag Approval for Airlines

The Federal Aviation Administration has approved expanded use of electronic flight bags (EFBs) for pilots, streamlining cockpit operations and reducing paper-based navigation charts.

Starting this month, airlines can now use tablet-based EFBs as the sole source of aeronautical charts and approach plates, eliminating the need for paper backups in many operational scenarios.

What This Means for Airlines

The rule change reduces weight in the cockpit—sometimes by 40 pounds or more per flight deck. It also cuts printing costs and ensures pilots always have the most current chart revisions.

Major carriers including Delta, United, and American have already transitioned to EFB-only operations on domestic routes.

Technology Requirements

Airlines must demonstrate their EFB systems meet specific reliability standards, including backup power sources and redundant data storage. Most modern tablets used in aviation exceed these thresholds.

The FAA noted that EFB technology has matured significantly since first introduced, with failure rates now comparable to traditional avionics equipment.