U.S. AIRLINES COMPLY WITH FAA CARGO HOLD FIRE DETECTORS REQUIREMENT

U.S. AIRLINES COMPLY WITH FAA CARGO HOLD FIRE DETECTORS REQUIREMENT    The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said nearly all of the country’s commercial airline fleet has fire detection and suppression equipment in its cargo holds.
   While most widebody passenger planes already had the equipment, the FAA required on Feb. 17, 1998, that all passenger planes be retrofitted with the equipment during the next three years. The rule also required the country’s fleet of about 300 all-cargo planes to have detection systems and means to shut off air flow to cargo compartments. The cost to the airline industry was $300 million.
   Of the 3,483 planes affected by the rule, 3,154 had been retrofitted as of Monday. A total of 264 planes will remain in maintenance until the work is finished, the FAA said.
   “Some operators have either made business decisions not to operate some aircraft or cannot meet the deadline, leaving 65 airplanes on the ground,” the FAA said.
   The FAA granted two airlines 90-day exemptions. Pacific Island Aviation operates three Shorts SD3-60s that provide “essential” air service to the Mariana Islands between Rota, Tinian, Saipan and Guam. Meanwhile, the planes have been equipped with smoke detectors and hand-held fire extinguishers. Freedom Air also received an exemption to operate one SD3-60 in the same region. The agency denied all other exemption requests.