Microsoft’s Surface Pro 3 tablet has been qualified by both the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and the European Aviation Safety Agency to be authorized for use as an Electronic Flight Bag during all stages of aircraft flight, the company announced today. That means airlines like Delta (which announced last year that it was going to be giving its pilots Surface tablets) will now have an easier time getting the device approved for use, and they will be able to use the Surface for a broader set of tasks rather than just as a document reader.

In addition to the qualification, Microsoft also said that navAero is in the process of developing a special cockpit mount for the Surface Pro 3 that will allow it to connect to cockpit power and data, and allow pilots to use it as a laptop replacement in the cockpit. Jeppesen has also released a special version of its FliteDeck Pro application for Windows 8.1 that’s designed to take advantage of the Surface Pro 3’s feature set.

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