NPRM Seeks Comment On New Bulkhead, Design Regulations

The Federal Aviation Administration has proposed a sweeping new set of regulations intended to make new airliners less susceptible to terrorist attacks. If enacted, the rules would require commercial airliner manufacturers to design new planes with stronger cockpit bulkheads, and with better fire suppression systems.

Bloomberg reports the proposed rules -- which would impact Boeing and Airbus most significantly -- also call for fire extinguishing systems in cargo holds that could withstand explosives, and minimize the danger of a bomb blast. The FAA also proposes designated areas onboard aircraft to place an explosive device, to minimize damage to the plane.

"Following the replacement of the cockpit doors, this will make airplanes even more secure," said FAA spokesperson Alison Duquette.

Representatives with European planemaker Airbus didn't comment on the proposed rules. Boeing spokesperson Jim Proulx said the company would work with the FAA on the new rule.

"We need to review it before we venture any opinions," he said.

Such systems would add to the cost and, in particular the weight of each aircraft. The FAA states its proposal would cost $453.9 million to implement the changes through 2049... but those costs would be offset, the FAA believes, by a savings of $1.2 billion should the systems thwart a terrorist attack.

The proposal assumes one attack within that period, a figure based on historical data.

The FAA's proposal calls for reinforced cockpit door standards, implemented in 2003, to be extended to include the entire cockpit bulkhead, as well as the floors and ceilings of cockpits on planes with more than one deck.

Planemakers would also have to "avoid designs that make it difficult to search an area," and reduce the number of cubbyholes a bomb could be hidden. The FAA points to the design of some lavatory toilets -- that restrict the size of devices that can be flushed -- as an example of this policy.

The proposal is open for industry and public comment until April 5, after which point the FAA will decide when the changes will take effect.

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