The Federal Aviation Administration issued a directive requiring airlines to remove a certain model of seats from planes due to potential safety issues.
The seats made by Zodiac Seats California LLC are mainly on smaller planes, including Boeing 717s and MD-90s flown by Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines.
The FAA said it issued the final rule on the matter to prevent serious injuries during a survivable crash, according to the final rule published Wednesday in the Federal Register.
According to the FAA, the design of the seats is such that passengers could strike their heads on the seat backs, and their chins could “catch” on the top of the tray table as their heads slide down the seat backs. The chin catching on the seat could cause “high neck bending loads,” according to the FAA.
Delta had initially suggested to the FAA that further testing and discussions should take place before the directive was finalized.
Zodiac and an industry committee told the FAA that the directive was based on limited research, and cited accidents where reports did not mention serious neck injuries.
The FAA responded that it found sufficient data and identified an unsafe condition.
Airlines have five years to to remove the seats, with a total of 10,482 seats affected.
Delta said the directive affects all seats in the economy cabin and Comfort+ sections of its MD-90 and Boeing 717 aircraft. The airline said it will comply with the directive to replace the seats within the five years.
“The safety of our customers and aircraft is Delta’s top priority,” Delta said in a written statement.
Delta can replace the seats during scheduled maintenance checks and thus does not expect disruptions to flight schedules.
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