(Bloomberg) -- Struggling passenger airlines can turn planes into cargo-only aircraft provided they take steps to prevent fires and keep weight balanced, U.S. aviation regulators said in new guidance.
With passenger demand plunging to nearly zero, some airlines have begun carrying more cargo to provide revenue. The Federal Aviation Administration's guidance will allow them to carry it in what had been the passenger areas of the plane.
Transforming aircraft in that way is permitted, the FAA said in an alert dated Wednesday.
“It is an extraordinary situation, however, for an entire passenger cabin to be loaded with cargo,” the FAA said in the safety alert. “Passenger cabins are not designed for an all-cargo configuration.”
Cargo compartments have specialized fire-detection systems that typically aren't installed in passenger cabins, so airlines must take extra steps to ensure the crew can detect and fight fires, the FAA said. Airlines must also follow rules on properly securing cargo and the types of hazardous materials they can carry.
Existing FAA rules also require that carriers perform a risk assessment of the new operations, the agency said.
All large airliners have holds beneath the cabin where cargo is currently permitted. The new guidance would allow expanding the cargo loads to the entire plane.
In order to meet the fire-detection requirements, airlines will have to carry “one or more” additional employees who can sense whether a fire has broken out and, if necessary, extinguish it.
While lavatories have smoke detectors on airliners, there aren't any fire sensing or suppression systems in passenger cabins.
Some limited amounts of cargo can be placed in overhead storage bins as well as beneath seats, the FAA said. Airlines must make sure that the weight and balance of the plane, which must be computed before each flight, is accurate.
Airlines can remove seats from cabins to accommodate cargo, the FAA said. The tracks beneath the floor that hold seat rows can be used to attach cargo, provided the plane is certified to hold such loads, the agency said.
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