Europe's Joint Aviation Authorities will complete guidance material for airlines this month on the installation of in-seat power supply systems for portable electrical devices (PEDs).
The material, compiled with the US Federal Aviation Administration, will be passed to the JAA's Requirements Committee for approval and publication at the end of July. From there, it will go on to the JAA Cabin Safety Committee, which could push the issue towards the specification stage.
The installation of in-seat power supply systems by airlines, allowing passengers to use their laptop computers and other PEDs in flight, has taken off in the last couple of years, but little guidance material has been available for airlines, says the UK Civil Aviation Authority's Rick Bewsey, chair of the ad hoc group compiling the guidelines.
Primex Aerospace, the first to offer in-seat power supplies, has equipped more than 330 aircraft operated by over 25 airlines with its EmPower system. DaimlerChrysler Aerospace Airbus subsidiary KID Systeme has orders covering US Airways' narrowbodies and Lufthansa's long-haul fleet.
There have been concerns, particularly in the USA, about the use of laptops in flight because of fears about the stability of their lithium-ion batteries. Last year, the US Portable Rechargable Battery Association, which represents battery and laptop manufacturers, called for a halt in the use of in-seat power supply systems pending a probe into the safety implications.
Concerns are not over the in-seat systems, but the risk of lithium-ion batteries over-heating, releasing fumes or even igniting while being charged. The CAA has been assessing these issues and, although no such incidents have occurred, CAA and FAA work in this area continues, says Bewsey.
The document will "fill a black hole", suggests one participant in the ad hoc group.
Source: Flight International
