The concern related to the operator not ensuring that able-bodied people are seated in the over-wing area of the aircraft during flights.
The reporter expressed a safety concern related to the over-wing seats being empty when able-bodied passengers are available to sit in the row.
The reporter advised that if no passenger has purchased an over-wing seat (on an internal flight on a Malaysian airline, which carries Australian passengers from an international carrier), then the row of seats is not utilised.
The door on an A320 plane (one of [operator]’s standard aircraft) weighs approximately 12 kg. In order to successfully exit the aircraft over the wings, it requires:
- People at each of the four exit doors who have been trained before take-off in how to open the doors.
- People at each of these four exit doors who know when to open the doors and importantly when not to open the doors.
- Four people that are capable of lifting and throwing a 12 kg door outside of the plane.
On most [operator] flights there is no guarantee that anybody sitting near the wing will be willing, capable, and able to operate the emergency exit doors. The reporter advised that on flights they have travelled, they have seen old people and very young people sitting in the rows around the empty exit row seats.
It is unlikely that Airbus would support these seats being empty, and in the reporter’s experience no other airline flies with these seats empty as a matter of company policy.
When the aircraft is certified, these seats are utilised to show that the aircraft can be evacuated in the required timeframe, so why is the airline not required to have an able-bodied person in the seat to operate the emergency exit in the event of an emergency.
Reporter comment: It is not about money from the customer’s point of view, it is that everyone in the middle section of an [operator] aircraft has a substantially higher risk of dying in the case of an accident.
Thank you for bringing this to our attention.
Our cabin crew are trained to ensure a rapid emergency evacuation is executed with the four main doors. Therefore, these over-wing exit row seats are not mandatory to be occupied but should it be, the occupant will be briefed on the usage of it. This procedure has been accepted and approved by our regulator.
In response to the report on elderly and minors that were observed occupying seats around the empty exit row seats, there is no restriction for passenger to select any standard seats. However, we have a policy on the occupancy of exit row seating as stated below;
- Must be physically and mentally fit to assist crew in an emergency
- Must be capable of understanding printed/spoken emergency instructions
- Must be 15 years old and above
- Not be in any stage of pregnancy
- Not travelling with infants and/or children
- Did not purchase an extra seat
We hope we have provided you with sufficient information and satisfactorily responded to the issues highlighted. Do let us know if you need any further information.
The Department of Civil Aviation Malaysia (DCA) does not handle passenger complaints and therefore would like REPCON to liaise with Malaysian Aviation Commission (MAVCOM) on this issue.
The ATSB has responded to DCA advising that issues concerning the emergency evacuation of an aircraft are matters of safety rather than a passenger complaint and the REPCON system will continue to advise them of safety concerns for their action as they are arise.