Safe Air on Airplanes Act

This bill aims to make the air on airplanes cleaner and safer. It tells the FAA to update its rules within 6 months to stop new airplane designs from using “bleed air” systems, which pull compressed air from the engine for cabin air that people could breathe. For existing designs that still use bleed air, newly built planes must add filters that remove oil fumes starting 7 years after the law takes effect, and then phase these systems out over time.

Key points

• Who is affected: Airplane makers, airlines, flight crews, and passengers.
• What changes:
  • No new airplane designs can use bleed air systems.
  • If a new plane is built with a bleed air system within 7 years after enactment, it must include an oil‑fume filter or air cleaning device.
  • For existing airplane designs, manufacturers must phase out bleed air: at least 25% without it by 10 years, 50% by 20 years, and 100% by 30 years after enactment.
• When: FAA rule updates due within 6 months; filter requirement begins 7 years after enactment; phase‑out milestones at 10, 20, and 30 years.

Bleed air system means air taken from an engine or auxiliary power unit and used for pressurizing or ventilating the cabin—air that passengers or crew could breathe during flight.