FAA grants Airbus exemption for A220 fuel pump regulations

Policy

Airbus A380 | Airbus

By Sky Industry News

Dec 22, 2024

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has granted Airbus an exemption to install alternating current (AC) fuel boost pumps without a ground fault interrupter (GFI) in the fuel systems of its A220-100 and A220-300 aircraft. This decision removes the requirement for US operators to replace the AC boost pump cartridge every 10,000 flight hours, based on data analysis.

Airbus, through its joint venture with the Government of Quebec, Airbus Canada Limited Partnership (ACLP), initially sought this exemption from the FAA. The request follows a previous time-limited exemption granted to Bombardier, which formerly owned the aircraft program known as CSeries.

“The FAA determined the AC fuel boost pump to be compliant with the requirements of [certain CFR sections], without the incorporation of a GFI,” according to a statement from the FAA. Revisions include inspections of dry bays and warnings against dry running the pump.

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Airbus reported that Transport Canada Civil Aviation (TCCA) had not verified the robustness of these pumps but imposed a 10,000 flight hour limit with potential future removal. In 2018, after inspections by Airbus, TCCA removed this limit.

“[Airbus’] position is supported by teardown inspection findings, fleet data pump usage, in-service reliability, and pedigree,” Airbus stated. Five inspected pumps showed no signs of wear or degradation even after significant use.

Airbus argues that their AC fuel boost pumps are only active under specific conditions and represent less than 1% of total flight time. Their analysis indicates that ground operation hours are more relevant for evaluating pump usage.

“As of August 2023, the total Model A220 fleet utilization was 1,561,661 flight hours and 914,895 flight cycles,” Airbus noted. The mean time between unscheduled removals greatly exceeds initial predictions.

The FAA concluded that granting this exemption serves public interest while increasing the fuel pump limit to 30,000 flight hours and requiring periodic inspections. There are currently 149 A220 aircraft operated by Breeze Airways, Delta Air Lines, and JetBlue in the US.