The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration is ready to mandate what amounts to an airlock for airliner cockpit doors to back up the reinforced secure doors that have been mandated since the 9/11 attacks.
The proposed rule, which has been in the works since 2007, would block off the area around the door when it must be opened to let pilots out or flight crew in during a flight. Pilots have called for such a rule for years, and flight crew often use temporary barriers such as food carts when needed.
The exact design of the secondary barrier is still to be determined; it has to keep intruders out, but can't be just another door, because there needs to be line-of-sight from the door to the passenger area.
The proposed rule would go into effect for all new planes built starting two years after the rule's adoption; before it's adopted, there is a 60-day period for public comment on the rule, which in the past has been opposed by aircraft manufacturers. The Airline Pilots Association wants the rule to include retro-fitting of existing aircraft.
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