WASHINGTON – Greg Regan, President of the Transportation Trades Department (TTD) of the AFL-CIO, released the following statement in response to the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) proposed rule requiring newly manufactured commercial airplanes to have physical secondary barriers to impede unauthorized access to the flight deck:
“The implementation of the secondary flight deck barriers rule, which Congress mandated in the 2018 FAA Reauthorization bill, is long overdue. Transportation labor welcomes this long-awaited proposed rule requiring newly manufactured commercial passenger aircraft to be equipped with secondary barriers to prevent access to the flight deck when the primary reinforced door is open during flight.
“These lightweight, retractable barriers are designed to provide an extra layer of protection by separating the flight deck door from the passenger cabin when pilots need to enter and exit the cockpit during a flight. The proposed rule is an initial step forward in making the flying skies even safer for workers and the public.
“We will be further evaluating the proposed rule and submitting our formal opinion before the close of the comment period.”
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