The US Department of Transportation has put into force new restrictions on the transport of chemical oxidisers and compressed oxygen aboard commercial air transports.
The regulations bar carriage of chemical oxidisers in an inaccessible aircraft cargo compartment that does not have a fire or smoke detection and fire suppression system. A limited number of oxygen cylinders, including those used for medical use, is allowed in the passenger cabin and the new rules limit their carriage in cargo compartments that do not have a fire/smoke detector and fire suppression systems. Oxygen cylinders must be contained in protective packaging. Spent generators cannot be transported on aircraft.
The regulations result from the 1996 crash of a ValuJet McDonnell Douglas DC-9 in Florida.
Source: Flight International
