Focus on Protective Breathing Equipment
Protective Breathing Equipment (PBE) protects the user's face and respiratory system from heat, smoke and noxious gases. In-service events were reported to Airbus where the PBE did not work as expected or where cabin crew had difficulties using their equipment or inappropriately used it, which impaired their safety. This article explains the concept and specificities of […]
Lithium Battery Fire in the Cabin or in the Cockpit
A lithium battery fire during flight is a significantly growing threat due to the increasing number of portable electronic devices carried by aircraft occupants.Recent events illustrate the critical importance of adhering to the procedures to timely and efficiently react to a lithium battery fire.This article explains the specific firefighting steps to fight a lithium battery […]
Attention Crew at Stations
An emergency evacuation is always a stressful situation for passengers, cabin crews, and flight crews. Decisions have to be made rapidly and if the communication between the cabin and cockpit is not clear, or the evacuation is delayed by passengers trying to take their personal belongings, these can have critical consequences on the outcome.From the […]
Preparing for a Safe Return to the Skies
Aircraft that were parked or stored due to the impacts of the COVID-19 sanitary crisis are progressively returning to the skies. It is in this context that Airbus has already received several reports of rejected takeoff (RTO) and in-flight turn back (IFTB) events due to unreliable airspeed. All of these events had positive outcomes thanks […]
Safe Aircraft Refuelling
Safe refuelling operations require strict adherence to procedures and careful application of the safety precautions, not only by the refuelling operators but also flight crew, the cabin crew and the other ground operators.This article highlights the safety precautions that must be considered when refuelling an aircraft. It also describes supplementary tasks that are necessary if […]
Managing Severe Turbulence
Severe turbulence encounters may cause injuries to passengers and cabin crew. If turbulence is unavoidable, using best practices, applying recommended techniques and following procedures will help to reduce the risk of injuries.This article is about turbulence encounters, their risks and tips for how to avoid them. It provides references and links to the relevant publications. […]
Preventing Violent Door Opening due to Residual Cabin Pressure
Thousands of aircraft doors are opened daily, usually without incident. However, several events are reported to Airbus each year where residual cabin pressure caused a door to open violently, leading to serious injuries or aircraft damage. This article describes the available residual cabin pressure warnings, with their limitations. It recalls the recommendations for flight crew, cabin […]
Preventing Inadvertent Slide Deployments
The number of people injured when emergency escape slides are inadvertently deployed is low. Nevertheless, such events pose a threat to the safety of people in or around aircraft. They are also a cause of aircraft damage, and departure delays. This article looks at how Inadvertent Slide Deployments (ISDs) can be avoided, and presents a new […]
Preventing Falls from Height
Falling from an aircraft can cause serious injuries to people.Specific safety equipment is installed on Airbus aircraft, and when used correctly, can prevent falls from height. This article describes the available safety equipment for Airbus aircraft and recalls the basic safety precautions that will help to avoid falling from height injuries to everyone on the […]
Lithium batteries: safe to fly?
Today, lithium batteries play a barely visible, yet essential role in both our daily life and aviation alike. Manufactured and handled correctly, lithium batteries are safe. But production failures, mishandling, or not being aware of their specific characteristics can have serious repercussions.