§ Mr. BlizzardTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what regulations govern the number of passenger seats that can be accommodated in a civil aircraft. [117228]
§ Mr. MullinThe maximum seating capacity of any large passenger aircraft is determined by the aircraft certification standards. Annexe 8 to the Chicago Convention requires that an aircraft may be issued with a Certificate of Airworthiness only if it complies with a comprehensive and detailed airworthiness code established by the State of Registry. Within Europe, the Joint Aviation Authorities agree harmonised aviation safety standards, including airworthiness codes, for their 32 member states. The JAA airworthiness code for new types of large passenger aircraft is contained in Joint Airworthiness Requirement 25, which has also been adopted as the EC standard by Council Regulation 3922/92. JAR 25 requires that in an emergency an aircraft in maximum seating configuration must be capable of being evacuated within 90 seconds.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has also set minimum requirements relating to the spacing of passenger seats for aircraft on the UK register. This is because, in the event of an emergency, it is one of a number of factors which can have an effect upon the evacuation of an aircraft. The minimum requirements are contained in Airworthiness Notice 64.