Nigel Huddleston – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Huddleston on 2016-01-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress has been made on the introduction of mandatory defibrillators on aircraft.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is responsible for the regulations relating to equipment to be carried on aircraft operating in Europe and competent national authorities, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) being such a body in the UK, are responsible for oversight of the compliance. The EASA regulations do not require aircraft to carry defibrillators.

Cases of sudden cardiac arrest are very rare when compared to the number of passengers carried. There is no evidence that airline passengers are at increased risk of sudden cardiac arrest, and it would not be proportionate to make carrying defibrillators in an aircraft compulsory.