The US Federal Aviation Administration on Tuesday announced a new rule requiring airlines to install safety devices on their planes to prevent fuel tank explosions.
It was this type of explosion that caused TWA Flight 800 to explode shortly after takeoff from New York in 1996, killing 230 people. Fuel tanks can explode when there is a mixture of oxygen, heat and fuel.
FAA administrator Marion Blakey told a press conference the new measure will affect about 3,800 aircraft, particularly all Boeing and Airbus jets owned by US carriers.
Those built by McDonnell Douglas - which was purchased by Boeing in 1997 - do not require any changes, however. "Our proposal would require a new type of equipment that would close the book on fuel tank explosions," Blakey said.
The safety devices, which will remove oxygen from aircraft fuel tanks, will cost millions of dollars to install.
The FAA's announcement is unlikely to delight US air carriers, which have been tightening their belts ever since the deadly September 11, 2001 attacks that crippled the country's air travel industry.
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