Aviation Trivia: Why do airlines turn down cabin lights during landing?

Have you ever wondered why the light in the aircraft are dimmed or turned off when the plane is landing or taking off? Here we have the answer to your question.

In aircraft, it is a common practice for airlines to dim or turn off cabin lights at the time of landing and take off. However, you must have noticed that this practice is not used every time during landing or takeoff; it is only done at certain times of the day. But why is that? Why is the change in light needed in the plane's cabin? To quench your curiosity, we have answers to all these questions explaining and analysing the reasons for this practice.

Why are cabin lights dimmed at the time of landing or take off?

To understand the practice, we first need to know when it is used. Airlines generally use this practice in the twilight hours, i.e., dusk and dawn. The safety feature ensures that passengers' eyes are sufficiently acclimated to the darkness to detect the cabin's floor lights. In the event of an emergency or evacuation, this procedure can guide passengers to safety along the aisle. If the cabin lights were turned on beforehand, it would take a while for people's eyes to adjust.

As a matter of fact, Humans can take anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes to properly adjust to a dimly lit environment. As a result, every initiative that aids in the speeding up of the process can have a big impact.

Additional measures to help eyes get acclimated

While onboard, crew members frequently request that the window shades be lifted in addition to the lights being dimmed. In the event of an emergency, this element also contributes to increased visibility. The better one's orientation, the better one's judgement.

Aircraft manufacturers realise the importance of lighting, and hence they have included the features to control lighting in the aircraft. The lighting features were extensively promoted during the pandemic to help the passengers follow social distancing.

Using these developing features and technologies, the aircraft's crew members can easily and more comfortably guide the passengers to follow the guide.