A collection of four United States representatives reintroduced the Saracini Enhanced Aviation Safety Act this week in a bipartisan effort to require the installation of secondary cockpit barriers on passenger aircraft to prevent future events like those witnessed on Sept. 11, 2001.
The bill is named for Capt. Victor Saracini, whose plane was hijacked and flown into the South Tower of the World Trade Center on 9/11. It was introduced by U.S. Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), André Carson (D-IN), and Chris Smith (R-NJ) and has been endorsed by the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA).
At the heart of the legislation is the issue of safety. A study commissioned by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and other industry stakeholders found that the flight deck door remains vulnerable. A secondary barrier could be added for a cost of $5,000-$12,000 per aircraft, making it a cost-effective means of security. The House bill (H.R. 911) would require installing lightweight, wire-mesh gates between the passenger cabin and cockpit door to block access to the flight deck whenever the cockpit door is opened during flight.
“Ensuring the safety of our nation’s aircraft is paramount to protecting the American public. Congress previously made progress in ensuring that all future commercial aircraft are equipped with secondary barriers, so we must build on that momentum in this 117th Congress and include the same requirement for all existing commercial passenger aircraft,” Fitzpatrick said.
Currently, only new planes are required to implement secondary barriers due to elements of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 introduced by Fitzpatrick. This new legislation would require all existing commercial aircraft to install them.
“Why would you have some planes that are safe from terrorist attacks on the cockpit and others that aren’t?” Gottheimer said. “We must do everything we can to protect our airplanes from terror attacks and keep our nation safe.”
“ALPA has long supported the use of secondary barriers to preserve the integrity of the flight deck and keep crews and passengers safe,” ALPA President Capt. Joe DePete said. “We are grateful to Reps. Fitzpatrick, Gottheimer, Carson, and Smith for their leadership and dedication to enhancing aviation safety and security by ensuring that these cost-effective devices are retroactively installed on all passenger aircraft.”
Meanwhile, U.S. Sens. Bob Casey (D-PA) and Pat Toomey (R-PA) have pledged support from their chamber of Congress. They intend to introduce companion legislation to the Senate.