FAA Decides It’s About Time We Put Oyxgen Devices Back In Airplane Bathrooms

You might recall that the Federal Aviation Administration ordered all emergency oxygen supplies be removed from airplane bathrooms, to deter would-be terrorists from dismantling them and starting fires. And now it’s time to get that oxygen back in the lavatories.

The airlines have been ordered to put redesigned oxygen systems in within 37 months, according to a directive published Monday on the U.S. Federal Register’s website. That rule doesn’t lay out new standards for the systems, however, notes Bloomberg news.

The oxygen in airplane bathrooms, to be used if the aircraft loses cabin pressure at high altitude, were deemed a hazard because passengers could tamper with them, and the pure oxygen could be used to start a fire, said the FAA. It was working with the Transportation Security Administration and the FBI to find a tamper-proof oxygen system.

The cost to the airline industry for installing new systems will be about $44.2 million, said the FAA, and it cost airlines around $935,000 to disable the old ones.

Oxygen Devices Ordered Put Back In U.S. Airline Bathrooms [Bloomberg]

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