US FAA to require mandatory use of safety equipment by charter airlines and manufacturers From Reuters

David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Monday said it was finalizing new rules requiring charter, commuter, air tour operators and aircraft manufacturers to implement a key safety tool aimed at reducing crashes.

The FAA is adopting a final rule mandating the use of safety management systems (SMS), which are a set of policies and procedures to proactively identify and address potential operational hazards, after first proposing to do so in January 2023. US airlines have been encouraged to have SMS since 2018, and some aerospace companies already voluntarily have SMS programs, such as Boeing (NYSE:).

“Requiring more aviation organizations to adopt a proactive approach to safety management will prevent accidents and save lives,” said FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker.

In 2020, Congress directed the FAA to require aircraft manufacturers to use SMS as part of a sweeping certification reform bill following two fatal Boeing 737 MAX crashes, but the FAA’s final rule goes beyond what lawmakers required.

The issue of safety management has received new attention following the explosion of a cabin panel on Alaska Airlines’ new Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft. The FAA has barred Boeing from expanding production of the 737 MAX and ordered the planemaker to develop a comprehensive plan to address “systemic quality control issues” within 90 days.

SMS systems require four key components: security policy, security risk management, security assurance, and security enhancement. In 2023, the FAA required major airports to adopt SMS programs after more than 10 years of training.

The National Transportation Safety Board has called on the FAA to require and audit SMS systems in all commercial passenger aviation operations.

The NTSB previously said that “too many operators either don’t have one or have an ineffective one… It’s time to get more people on board. The risk to flying passengers is too great not to refuse.”

The NTSB has cited SMS systems in a number of incidents, including the 2020 helicopter crash that killed NBA star Kobe Bryant, his daughter and seven others. In its report, the council cited the operator’s “incomplete implementation of its safety management system” and the benefits of mandatory SMS.