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In the wake of several incidents where holes opened on the fuselage of passenger jets, the Federal Aviation Administration said Friday that it will set a "retirement age" for jets to address fatigue issues.
Once regulators and plane makers agree on a maximum age for a plane type, airlines may choose to retire older planes instead of undergoing what is expected to be much more rigorous and costly maintenance schedules. The new rules will be phased in over several years, making the impact on carriers difficult to predict.
"We've addressed the problem of aging aircraft with numerous targeted regulations and 100 airworthiness directives over the years," FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt said in a release Friday. "This rule is a comprehensive solution to ensure the structural safety of today's airliners and the airplanes of tomorrow."
Holes in jets flown by Dallas-based Southwest Airlines Co. and Fort Worth-based American Airlines Inc. didn't injure any passengers but concerned some safety watchers. Similar cracks were found also on a jet flown by Chicago-based United Airlines Inc.
The initial inquiries into what caused the holes pointed to fatigue-related cracking, which occurs as jet fuselages expand and contract from pressurization with each flight.
The new rules wouldn't automatically retire any of the 4,198 planes being flown in the U.S., but rather would establish a strict set of maintenance inspections and guidelines to ensure that cracking doesn't become an issue.
Plane makers, such as Boeing and Airbus, will have up to five years to work with regulators on determining the "limits of validity" for each plane type; airlines will have more time after that to work through how they maintain planes under the new rules.
The limits proposed Friday by the FAA suggest the MD-80s flown by American Airlines should fly no more than 50,000 "cycles" – one takeoff and landing. Boeing's popular 737 family models, which Southwest flies, were approved for 75,000 cycles.
Out of a fleet of 619 jets, American flies 247 MD-80s, which were an average of 18 years old in 2009. Some of its twin-engine Boeing 767-200s are older than its MD-80s, and the carrier is adding Boeing 737-800s at the recent rate of one every two weeks to replace its MD-80s.
In October, a Boeing 757 operated by American was forced to land at Miami International Airport after a hole developed near the front of the plane. The average age for American's fleet of Boeing 757s is 16 years.
American spokeswoman Andrea Huguely said the carrier had a robust maintenance inspection program in place and it will comply with the FAA directive.
"American Airlines has a long history of maintaining its aircraft to the highest standards and working closely with the FAA to address any potential safety issues, and we will continue to do so," she said.
Southwest has among the younger fleets of the major airlines, with its 544 Boeing 737s averaging about 11 years old. The 737 where a hole opened up at the top of the fuselage near the plane's tail in July 2009 was 15 years old.
"We will review the new regulation and will comply fully with its requirements," said Southwest spokesman Chris Mainz. "Safety is and always will be our highest priority."
The FAA said that all planes develop tiny cracks in their skins as they age; it's when the cracks join together that they present a greater risk. Part of the challenge for regulators is that the same airplane can be flown and maintained far differently depending on operator, purpose and even location.
What the FAA and plane makers will have a harder time deciding is how newer planes with more composite components wear in comparison to metal planes.
Composites, which are used extensively in the newest planes such as Boeing's 787 Dreamliner and new Airbus jets, don't crack but do "delaminate" as they get older and can degrade. However, the materials are new enough that it's not clear how durable they will be over the long haul.
Friday's announcement links back to an incident in 1988 when an Aloha Airlines 737 lost an 18-foot section of its upper fuselage because of cracking. A volley of regulations aimed at preventing a similar incident steered regulators to this new rule.
Once regulators and plane makers agree on a maximum age for a plane type, airlines may choose to retire older planes instead of undergoing what is expected to be much more rigorous and costly maintenance schedules. The new rules will be phased in over several years, making the impact on carriers difficult to predict.
"We've addressed the problem of aging aircraft with numerous targeted regulations and 100 airworthiness directives over the years," FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt said in a release Friday. "This rule is a comprehensive solution to ensure the structural safety of today's airliners and the airplanes of tomorrow."
Holes in jets flown by Dallas-based Southwest Airlines Co. and Fort Worth-based American Airlines Inc. didn't injure any passengers but concerned some safety watchers. Similar cracks were found also on a jet flown by Chicago-based United Airlines Inc.
The initial inquiries into what caused the holes pointed to fatigue-related cracking, which occurs as jet fuselages expand and contract from pressurization with each flight.
The new rules wouldn't automatically retire any of the 4,198 planes being flown in the U.S., but rather would establish a strict set of maintenance inspections and guidelines to ensure that cracking doesn't become an issue.
Plane makers, such as Boeing and Airbus, will have up to five years to work with regulators on determining the "limits of validity" for each plane type; airlines will have more time after that to work through how they maintain planes under the new rules.
The limits proposed Friday by the FAA suggest the MD-80s flown by American Airlines should fly no more than 50,000 "cycles" – one takeoff and landing. Boeing's popular 737 family models, which Southwest flies, were approved for 75,000 cycles.
Out of a fleet of 619 jets, American flies 247 MD-80s, which were an average of 18 years old in 2009. Some of its twin-engine Boeing 767-200s are older than its MD-80s, and the carrier is adding Boeing 737-800s at the recent rate of one every two weeks to replace its MD-80s.
In October, a Boeing 757 operated by American was forced to land at Miami International Airport after a hole developed near the front of the plane. The average age for American's fleet of Boeing 757s is 16 years.
American spokeswoman Andrea Huguely said the carrier had a robust maintenance inspection program in place and it will comply with the FAA directive.
"American Airlines has a long history of maintaining its aircraft to the highest standards and working closely with the FAA to address any potential safety issues, and we will continue to do so," she said.
Southwest has among the younger fleets of the major airlines, with its 544 Boeing 737s averaging about 11 years old. The 737 where a hole opened up at the top of the fuselage near the plane's tail in July 2009 was 15 years old.
"We will review the new regulation and will comply fully with its requirements," said Southwest spokesman Chris Mainz. "Safety is and always will be our highest priority."
The FAA said that all planes develop tiny cracks in their skins as they age; it's when the cracks join together that they present a greater risk. Part of the challenge for regulators is that the same airplane can be flown and maintained far differently depending on operator, purpose and even location.
What the FAA and plane makers will have a harder time deciding is how newer planes with more composite components wear in comparison to metal planes.
Composites, which are used extensively in the newest planes such as Boeing's 787 Dreamliner and new Airbus jets, don't crack but do "delaminate" as they get older and can degrade. However, the materials are new enough that it's not clear how durable they will be over the long haul.
Friday's announcement links back to an incident in 1988 when an Aloha Airlines 737 lost an 18-foot section of its upper fuselage because of cracking. A volley of regulations aimed at preventing a similar incident steered regulators to this new rule.