Washington: A bipartisan bill reintroduced in both houses of Congress aims to make the air safer to breathe for commercial airline crews and passengers.
Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Representative John Garamendi (D-CA) announced the Cabin Air Safety Act (S. 615 and HR 1293) on March 1.
“While airplanes pressurize and ventilate the cabin with outside air flowing through the engines, faulty seals and other malfunctions can cause engine oil, deicing fluids, insecticides and other noxious fumes to circulate around the cabin,” he said. said Blumenthal in a press release. . “Protecting fliers from harmful fumes seeping into the cabin is essential to safeguarding their health.”
The legislation would be:
- Require the installation of carbon monoxide detectors on aircraft and in-flight monitoring.
- Mandate that flight attendants, pilots, aircraft maintenance personnel, airport first responders, and emergency response teams complete annual training on responding to aircraft incidents involving smoke or fumes.
- Directs the Federal Aviation Administration to create a standardized form for flight attendants and other personnel to report details of smoke or fume-related incidents.
- Require the investigation of such incidents no later than seven days after the occurrence to identify the cause and ensure that the FAA develops a website to make the collected data available to the public.
Blumenthal and Garamendi introduced similar legislation in April 2019. Neither the House nor Senate versions made it past the committee stage.
A news release from Blumenthal’s office notes that the legislation is supported by several industry groups, including the Flight Attendants Association-CWA and the International Pilots Association. The International Brotherhood of Teamsters tweeted on March 7 that “this bill is critical to improving workplace safety for Teamsters who work in the skies.”
Co-sponsors include Senators Ed Markey (D-MA) and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Representative Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA).
