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Airlines

European Aviation Safety Agency to Decide on Mandatory Air-Sensor Replacements

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is expected to make a decision by Friday on whether to require all airlines to replace the air-speed sensors on Airbus A330 planes, following the deadly crash of Air France Flight 447 on June 1. The agency's spokesman, Daniel Hültgen, stated that regulators are still investigating the cause of the crash but are considering the possibility that inconsistent speed measurements could have played a role. If a mandatory order is issued, it would be a significant move, signaling that regulators believe a series of speed-sensor malfunctions since 2007 involving several Airbus planes are a legitimate safety concern.

Key Takeaways:

  • The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is expected to make a decision by Friday on whether to require all airlines to replace the air-speed sensors on Airbus A330 planes.
  • The decision comes after the deadly crash of Air France Flight 447 on June 1, which killed all 228 people on board.
  • Investigators are still searching for the cause of the crash but are considering the possibility that inconsistent speed measurements could have played a role.
  • Since 2007, several Airbus planes have experienced speed-sensor malfunctions, which regulators are now considered a legitimate safety concern.
  • There are currently about 600 Airbus A330 jets in service, operated by 72 airlines.
  • Many carriers, including Air France, have already opted to replace the speed sensors as a precaution.
  • A mandatory order by EASA would automatically trigger similar orders by regulators in other countries, including the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration.
  • The speed-sensing system includes a Pitot tube, which is vulnerable to icing in high-altitude storms, the type of weather the plane may have encountered four hours into the flight.
  • Airbus has issued a recommendation to operators to replace the speed sensors due to improved sensors becoming available.

Sources:

  • Daniel Hültgen, EASA spokesman, in [The New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/10/business/10air.html)
  • Paul Louis Arslanian, French investigation director, in [The New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/10/business/10air.html)
  • Maggie Bergsma, Airbus spokeswoman, in [The New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/10/business/10air.html)
  • The Associated Press, in [Associated Press](https://apnews.com/d93d287b85a14d908c156ac5f153ac94)

Statistics:

  • 228: The number of people killed in the crash of Air France Flight 447.
  • 600: The number of Airbus A330 jets currently in service.
  • 72: The number of airlines operating Airbus A330 jets.
  • 50: The number of bodies recovered from the sea.
  • 2007: The year Airbus issued a recommendation to operators to replace the speed sensors due to improved sensors becoming available.
  • 2008: The year Airbus extended the recommendation to the A330 family of jets.
  • 400: The number of pieces of debris recovered from the plane.

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