Supplemental oxygen requirements for cabin crew in pressurised aircraft operating at flight level 250 and below (CAAP 20.4-01)

CASA published the Draft CAAP 20.4-01 v 1.0 — Supplemental oxygen requirements for cabin crew members in pressurised aircraft operating at flight level 250 and below — on the CASA website from 22 February 2018 to 9 March 2018. We asked should the cabin crew supplemental oxygen requirements, as set out in Civil Aviation Order 20.4, apply in emergency situations where cabin crew may not be able to promptly access a supply of supplemental oxygen apply in certain circumstances.

Respondents

CASA received a total of three submissions. All the respondents consented to having their comments published on the CASA website.

Key feedback

All responses received support the consultation explanation that CAO 20.4 need not be narrowly and strictly applied to supplementary oxygen requirements for pressurised aircraft engaged in flights not above flight level 250 when a sudden emergency results in extraordinary circumstances that mean cabin crew may not immediately be able to access a supply of supplementary oxygen.

Future direction

CASA will issue the final CAAP 20.4-01 v 1.0 verifying that cabin crew can use their professional judgment to deal with any number of threats to the aircraft, passengers and themselves during an emergency. Departure from narrow regulatory compliance may be excusable in situations where the evidence shows that the departure was necessary due to a sudden or extraordinary emergency.