EU airline operators now have to ensure that newly manufactured large aircraft (both aeroplanes and helicopters) do not use the ozone depleting substance ‘halon’ as a fire extinguishing agent.
The aim, shared by ICAO, is to gradually mitigate the environmental impact that halon extinguishing agents in firefighting equipment have on the ozone and climate, and to progressively achieve a ‘halon-free’ aviation, which balances the environmental concerns with safety-enhancing and cost-efficient rules.
The requirement is laid down in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/133.
Further improvements in the area of ‘Part-26 – Additional Airworthiness Specifications for a given type of operation’ include requirements that: newly manufactured large passenger aeroplanes will be equipped with passenger seats that comply with the latest seat design standards to improve passenger safety in case of an emergency landing; and that thermal or acoustic insulation material will have to comply with the latest design standards in order to improve passenger safety in case of fire.
