A child restraint system {CRS} will soon be installed in all the airlines in India to protect infants and children in general during the flight, as per a latest circular from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation {DGCA}.

The statutory body said that the advisory is based on the recommendations of a sub-committee after the Air India Express crash in Kerala's Kozhikode on 7 August, 2020.

The operations circular, issued on 18 February, will be applicable to commercial air transport.
Let’s find out what is a child restraint system and why is it needed in flights:

What is a child restraint system

As per the advisory, “child restraint system {CRS} is any device, other than a seat belt, that is designed specifically to protect and restrain an infant or child during all phases of flight.”

The CRS, which has an internal harness and belt combination, needs to interface with the aircraft seat.

Similar to a child seat in a car, the CRS will be attached with the aircraft seat through the seatbelt as well as other systems to secure it.

Why is it needed

The regulatory body noted that the CRS is the safest way to secure an infant or child on board an aircraft.

It said that proper use of restraint is one of the most basic and important factors in surviving an accident.

“It is not possible for a parent to physically restrain an infant or child, especially during a sudden acceleration or deceleration, unanticipated or severe turbulence, or impact,” the advisory said.

DGCA’s advice to airlines

The CRS will be installed in a dedicated seat, “appropriate for the infant or child”.

The DGCA has advised airlines to encourage and increase the use of CRS by passengers, wherever feasible, travelling by air with infants or children.

“The airlines may develop the processes, relevant policies, procedures and training programmes, standard operating procedures {SOP}, as well as guidelines for managing change through their safety management systems to allow and enable the use of CRS on board their aircraft,” it said.

It has also suggested that the airlines should make available on their websites the width of the narrowest and widest passenger seats in each class of service for each make, model and series of airplane.

The DGCA has also prohibited the use of “certain types of Child restraint system during ground movement, take-off, and landing etc”.

Other countries that advise using CRS in flights

Even though it does not mandate the use of a CRS, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency {EASA} advises passengers to “secure an infant in a child seat on an aircraft seat” or that the infant “may travel on an adult’s lap secured by an ‘infant seat belt’”.

Similarly, Transport Canada highly recommends that passengers use an approved child restraint system {car seat} for all phases of the flight.

The Federal Aviation Administration {FAA} of the United States also urges its passengers to secure their child in a CRS or device, which is approved by the government, for the duration of your flight.

New Zealand’s Civil Aviation Rules require that, as a minimum, a child or infant is held by an adult, with the child or infant secured by a safety belt attached to the adult’s safety belt.

With inputs from agencies



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