THE US Federal Aviation Administration is to host a meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada on 21 June to discuss proposed commuter aircraft rule changes, which it estimates could cost the industry $275 million over the next ten years.
The proposed rule change will require Part 135 commuter carriers flying aircraft with ten to 30 seats to conduct operations under current Part 121 (commercial air carrier) requirements.
The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) published in March, responds to 10 recommendations issued by the US National Transportation Safety Board in the wake of several regional airliner accidents in 1994.
Manufacturers and operators are concerned that the cost of the changes will be too much for some carriers to bear.
Requirements under the proposed rule include the installation of advanced safety equipment such as flight-data recorders, traffic-alert and collision-avoidance systems, airborne weather radar, low-altitude wind-shear detectors and cockpit-voice recorders.
Other proposed changes include the establishment of an airline-style dispatch system, the designation of a safety officer, an updating of airport safety equipment and stricter imposition of flight-time limits and rest requirements on carriers.
The "age 60" retirement rules which apply to Part 121 operators would also be imposed on the commuter carrier.
The FAA says that the Las Vegas meeting is being held to give the public "-an additional opportunity to comment on the proposed rule". The closing date for comments on the rule-change proposals is 27 June.
The FAA intends to issue the final rule changes in December (Flight International, 24-30 May), and complete re-certification of commuter carriers to Part 121 standards a year later.
Source: Flight International
