Air Carrier Access Act - Aircraft Accessibility

Aircraft Delivered After April 1992

Under the Air Carrier Access Act and the U.S. Department of Transportation's Air Carrier Access Rules, new aircraft delivered after April 1992 must have the following accessibility features.

For aircraft with 30 or more passenger seats:

* at least one half of the armrests on aisle seats must be movable to facilitate transferring passengers from on board wheelchairs to the aisle seat;

* carriers must establish procedures to ensure that persons with disabilities can readily obtain seating in rows with movable aisle armrests; and

* an aisle seat is not required to have a movable armrest if it is not feasible or if a person with a disability would be precluded from sitting there by Federal Aviation Administration safety rules (e.g., an exit row).

For aircraft with 100 or more seats:

* priority space in the cabin must be provided for stowage of at least one passenger's folding wheelchair. This rule also applies to aircraft of smaller size if there is a closet large enough to accommodate a folding wheelchair.

For aircraft with more than one aisle:

* at least one accessible lavatory (with door locks, call buttons, grab bars, and lever faucets) must be available, and the lavatory must have sufficient room to allow a passenger using an on-board wheelchair to enter, maneuver, and use the facilities with the same degree of privacy as other passengers.

Aircraft with more than 60 seats must have an operable on-board wheelchair if:

* there is an accessible lavatory; or

* a passenger provides advance notice that he or she can use an inaccessible lavatory but needs an on-board chair to reach it, even if the aircraft predated the Rules and has not been refurbished.

Aircraft Delivered Before April 1992

An aircraft delivered before April 1992 does not have to be made accessible until its interior is refurbished. At that time, the relevant accessibility features must be added.

Airplanes in the commercial fleet have their seats replaced under different schedules depending on the carrier. When all seats are being replaced on an aircraft with 30 or more passenger seats, half of the aisle seats must be equipped with movable aisle armrests. This must be done on smaller aircraft to the extent it is not inconsistent with structural, weight, balance, operational, or interior configuration limitations.

All aircraft undergoing replacement of cabin interior elements or lavatories must meet the accessibility requirements for the affected features, including cabin storage space for a folding wheelchair, and an on-board wheelchair if there is an accessible lavatory (unless prohibited by structural, weight, balance, or configuration limitations).

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