14 CFR Part 382 Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability in Air Travel (Air Carrier Access Act) (with amendments issued through July 2003)

§ 382.21 Aircraft accessibility.

(a) The following requirements apply to new aircraft operated under 14 CFR part 121 and ordered by the carrier after April 5, 1990 or delivered to the carrier after April 5, 1992:

(1)(i) Aircraft with 30 or more passenger seats on which passenger aisle seats have armrests shall have movable aisle armrests on at least one-half of passenger aisle seats.

(ii) Such armrests are not required to be provided on aisle seats on which a movable armrest is not feasible or aisle seats which a passenger with a mobility impairment is precluded from using by an FAA safety rule.

(iii) For aircraft equipped with movable aisle armrests as required by this paragraph, carriers shall configure cabins, or establish administrative systems, to ensure that individuals with mobility impairments or other persons with disabilities can readily obtain seating in rows with movable aisle armrests.

(2) Aircraft with 100 or more passenger seats shall have a priority space in the cabin designated for stowage of at least one folding wheelchair;

(3) Aircraft with more than one aisle in which lavatories are provided shall include at least one accessible lavatory. This lavatory shall permit a qualified individual with a disability to enter, maneuver within as necessary to use all lavatory facilities, and leave, by means of the aircraft’s on-board wheelchair. The accessible lavatory shall afford privacy to persons using the on-board wheelchair equivalent to that afforded ambulatory users. The lavatory shall provide door locks, accessible call buttons, grab bars, faucets and other controls, and dispensers usable by qualified individuals with a disability, including wheelchair users and persons with manual impairments;

(4)(i) Aircraft with more than 60 passenger seats having an accessible lavatory, whether or not required to have such a lavatory by paragraph (a)(3) of this section, shall be equipped with an operable on-board wheelchair for the use of passengers.

(ii) The carrier shall ensure that an operable on-board wheelchair is provided for a flight using an aircraft with more than 60 passenger seats on the request (with advance notice as provided in § 382.33(b)(8)) of a qualified individual with a disability who represents to the carrier that he or she is able to use an inaccessible lavatory but is unable to reach the lavatory from a seat without the use of an on-board wheelchair.¹

(iii) On-board wheelchairs shall include footrests, armrests which are movable or removable, adequate occupant restraint systems, a backrest height that permits assistance to passengers in transferring, structurally sound handles for maneuvering the occupied chair, and wheel locks or another adequate means to prevent chair movement during transfer or turbulence. The chair shall be designed to be compatible with the maneuvering space, aisle width, and seat height of the aircraft on which it is to be used, and to be easily pushed, pulled, and turned in the cabin environment by carrier personnel.

(b)(1) Except as provided in paragraph (b)(2) of this section, aircraft in service on the effective date of this part (April 5, 1990) shall not be required to be retrofitted for the sole purpose of enhancing accessibility.

(2) No later than April 5, 1992, each carrier shall comply with the provisions of paragraph (a)(4) of this section with respect to all aircraft with more than 60 passenger seats operated under 14 CFR part 121.

(c) Whenever an aircraft operated under 14 CFR part 121 which does not have the accessibility features set forth in paragraph (a) of this section undergoes replacement of cabin interior elements or lavatories, or the replacement of existing seats with newly manufactured seats, the carrier shall meet the requirements of paragraph (a) of this section with respect to the affected feature(s) of the aircraft.

(d) Aircraft operated under 14 CFR part 121 with fewer than 30 passenger seats (with respect to the requirements of paragraph (a)(1) of this section), fewer than 100 passenger seats (with respect to the requirements of paragraph (a)(2) of this section) or 60 or fewer passenger seats (with respect to the requirements of paragraph (a)(4) of this section), and aircraft operated under 14 CFR part 135, shall comply with the requirements of this section to the extent not inconsistent with structural, weight and balance, operational and interior configuration limitations.

(e) Any replacement or refurbishing of the aircraft cabin shall not reduce existing accessibility to a level below that specified in this part.

(f) Carriers shall maintain aircraft accessibility features in proper working order.

¹The Aerospatiale/Aeritalia ATR-72 and the British Aerospace Advanced Turboprop (ATP), in configurations having between 60 and 70 passenger seats, are exempt from this requirement. See 57 FR 12872, April 14, 1992.