FAA proposes new oxygen and ETOPS limits for modified Airbus A330 freighters
AI-generated summary for informational purposes only. Not legal advice. See the original source for the authoritative text.
This proposal would require certain Airbus A330-200 and A330-300 freighters modified under a specific U.S. supplemental type certificate to update their flight manual supplement. The main practical change is that ETOPS-180 flights with a single flightcrew oxygen cylinder would be limited to three flightcrew members instead of four, and the minimum oxygen dispatch pressure information would also need to be corrected. The rule affects operators of 11 U.S.-registered aircraft and is meant to prevent an oxygen shortage in an emergency during long overwater or remote-route flights. Companies that fly these aircraft should review their manuals, prepare for a small compliance task, and submit comments by June 15, 2026 if they want to challenge or refine the proposal.
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Key Changes
- Limits ETOPS-180 operations to three flightcrew members on affected aircraft with a single flightcrew oxygen cylinder
- Requires updating the Airplane Flight Manual Supplement to correct minimum oxygen dispatch pressure information
- Incorporates EASA AD 2025-0047 for compliance, with FAA-specific exceptions
Obligations
What this law requires
Operators of affected Airbus SAS Model A330-200 and A330-300 airplanes modified under FAA STC ST04038NY must revise the existing Airplane Flight Manual Supplement (AFM-S) to incorporate the AFM-S limitations update, including the corrected minimum oxygen dispatch pressure information.
Operators of affected Airbus SAS A330-200 and A330-300 freighter airplanes modified under FAA STC ST04038NY must revise the existing Airplane Flight Manual Supplement (AFM-S) to incorporate the applicable limitations from the AFM-S update, including limiting ETOPS-180 operations to three flightcrew members when the flightcrew oxygen system is supplied by a single oxygen cylinder and correcting the minimum oxygen dispatch pressure information.
Affected operators must comply with all required actions and compliance times specified in EASA AD 2025-0047, dated February 20, 2025, as incorporated by reference in the FAA AD, except where the FAA AD states specific exceptions.
For airplanes with a flightcrew oxygen system supplied by a single oxygen cylinder, operators must limit ETOPS-180 operations to three flightcrew members.
Affected operators must comply with all required actions and compliance times specified in EASA AD 2025-0047, dated February 20, 2025, except where the FAA AD expressly provides an exception.