Safety Topics

Airworthiness Instructions are being issued to UK airlines which will bring forward the date for introducing more fire resistant seating, improve the access to certain mid‐cabin emergency exits and provide floor level emergency escape path lighting. Since the CAA issued its requirements last year for making passenger seats on public transport aircraft more fire‐resistant, the range and availability of suitable fire‐blocking materials have improved notably. In these requirements, all newly manufactured seats will need to comply with the new standard by July 1, 1986. The date by which all passenger seats in the larger British‐registered aircraft will need to meet the new standard has been brought forward December 1 to July 1, 1987. In the implementation of both of these requirements, the CAA has noted that it is in advance of the rest of the world, while the process for introducing more fire‐resistant seats on aircraft has already begun.