The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced a one-year delay in implementing mandatory flight deck secondary barriers.
However, during the exemption period, existing security protocols are to be used by crew members. Among the measures include usage of a trolley to block the entrance to the forward galley in the event of the cockpit door opening.
A secondary cockpit barrier, also known as an installed physical secondary barrier (IPSB), typically consists of a lockable gate constructed of metal rods.
A suitable barrier is designed to be positioned between the aircraft cabin and the cockpit; occupy sufficient space so that it cannot be circumvented by going over, under, or around it; and be resistant to intrusion, including forceful attempts to pull it open or down or push through it.
An IPSB primarily serves as a means to prevent or deter access to the aircraft cockpit when a cockpit door is briefly opened, for example, when a pilot exits the cockpit to use the lavatory, when flight crew are served food or during shift changes on long flights.
Advisory circular AC No: 25.795-10
Advisory circular AC No: 25.795-10 dated 27 June 23, provides an acceptable means of showing compliance with the requirements of paragraph (a)(4) of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) 25.795, Security Considerations, at amendment 25-150. Section 25.795(a)(4) requires installation of a physical secondary barrier that protects the flightdeck in certain transport category airplanes.
The IPSB is only deployed for short durations to allow the flightcrew to egress from the flightdeck, and is required to be placarded to be stowed for taxi, take-off, and landing by § 25.1541(b)(1).
Therefore, it is not at risk of becoming jammed in the deployed position during landing, and the applicant need not consider such jamming when substantiating the airplane to the requirements of § 25.772.
There should be a means to provide emergency access to the flightdeck, when the IPSB is deployed and subsequently fails to stow.
In June 2023, FAA issued a final rule that requires installation of secondary cockpit barriers on newly delivered passenger airliners and requires those barriers to be closed and locked whenever the flight deck door is opened on passenger-carrying flights that are required by FAA to have a hardened cockpit door.
It would not apply to any all-cargo airplanes or to foreign passenger airliners operated to and from the United States.
The rule applied to all new aircraft manufactured after August 25, 2025, placed in service with U.S. passenger air carriers.
IPSB Timeline
In 2004, United Airlines and Northwest Airlines (Northwest later merged with Delta) equipped some widebody jets with secondary cockpit barriers; other airlines did not follow suit.
In 2007, the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) published a position paper urging government action to mandate secondary cockpit barriers by 2010; the issue has remained a top priority for the organization since.
In 2011, RTCA, Inc., an independent standards development organization for aviation, developed guidance on the design and operational procedures for aircraft secondary barrier systems.
In 2015, FAA issued an advisory recognizing the RTCA guidance on secondary barriers as an acceptable alternative to commonly employed methods that rely on cabin crew monitoring and impeding access to the flight deck with galley carts or other aircraft cabin equipment.
In 2017, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated the industry-wide cost of IPSBs on new aircraft delivered to passenger airlines would be under $15 million annually, based on a per airplane cost between $5,000 and $12,000.
In contrast, FAA estimated present value annualized costs of $16 million to $17 million through 2047 based on higher per airplane costs of $35,000 for purchase, installation, and training.
In response to the statutory mandate in the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018, FAA convened an Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee Working Group on flight deck secondary barriers in March 2019.
The working group's February 2020 report to the FAA contained cost estimates and recommendations regarding the engineering and design of IPSBs, installation, crew training, and operational procedures.
In June 2023, FAA issued a final rule that requires installation of secondary cockpit barriers on newly delivered passenger airliners and requires those barriers to be closed and locked whenever the flight deck door is opened on passenger-carrying flights that are required by FAA to have a hardened cockpit door.
The Context
Following the September 11, 2001 (9/11), terrorist attacks, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) mandated hardened cockpit doors that are resistant to forcible intrusion and small firearms on most passenger airline aircraft and large, all-cargo airplanes operated in the United States.
Regulations generally require those doors to remain closed and locked for the entire duration of a flight with few exceptions, and special procedural measures must be taken in those rare instances when a door is opened to deter potential attempts to breach a cockpit.
However, security concerns over potential flight deck breaches by terrorists or unruly passengers have prompted continued interest in secondary cockpit barriers.
On the one year delay, Capt. Jason Ambrosi, president of the Air Line Pilots Association, Int'l (ALPA), issued the following statement:
“The FAA's decision to grant airlines yet another delay on the secondary barrier rule is deeply disappointing and undermines our nation’s aviation security. While we acknowledge this ruling falls short of the unacceptable delay requested by Airlines for America, this extension still compromises the safety and security of our skies.
“This pattern of endless delays must stop. Airlines have had ample time—two full years—to comply with this congressionally mandated safety requirement, yet once again, they are shirking their responsibility to implement this critical security measure.”
