THE US AIRLINE Transport Association (ATA) says that a US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recommendation to require more sophisticated flight-data recorders on older Part 121 passenger aircraft is too expensive and unattainable within the time-scale proposed.
The NTSB says that each installation would cost between $20,000 and $70,000, but the ATA believes that the overall task could cost $658 million, with an average cost per aircraft of $158,000.
The ATA says that it supports the NTSB's work, but it adds that, "...the recommendations raise extraordinary complicated engineering, manufacturing, and operational issues, each of which is exacerbated by the size and design of the fleets that would be affected".
Source: Flight International
