European Regulators Protest Inerting Systems

One day after Airbus celebrated the joint EASA and FAA certification of the A380 superjumbo, investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board and safety advocates say they're concerned the mammoth airliner will be exempt from new US rules designed to prevent fuel tank explosions.

European officials say they don't plan to hold the plane to a requirement proposed by the FAA, as they don't agree with regulation. That proposal, set to go into effect next year, calls for empty fuel tanks to be filled with nitrogen, to render any residual fumes inert and prevent explosions triggered by electrical wiring inside center-wing-mounted tanks.

Safety advocates say it's a mistake to exempt the A380 from the rules, as not complying may put the megaliner at increased risk for explosions. In 2004, the NTSB even took the unusual step of writing a letter to European regulators, urging them to consider fuel tank safety measures.

"It's unfortunate that an aircraft of this size and significance does not have a requirement to eliminate the flammability in the tanks," former NTSB board member Carol Carmody told USA Today.

Airbus replies the A380 isn't prone to the same kind of explosion that brought down TWA Flight 800 in 1996, as the A380 does not have a fuselage-mounted fuel tank like the Boeing 747. The European planemaker also notes it has never had an issue with fuel tanks on any of its aircraft.

"This airplane has undergone more testing and more stringent evaluation than any other commercial airplane in history, and today is a very proud day that it has been certified as ready to fly," Airbus spokesman Clay McConnell said of the A380.

The FAA says Airbus jets remain vulnerable... but unless the planes are registered in the US, there's nothing the agency can do about it.

"There is no explanation other than it's a stiff arm in the face of safety," said former NTSB chairman Jim Hall on the regulators' decision.

FMI: www.airbus.com, www.ntsb.gov