Are older airplanes safe?
Older airplanes have to meet stringent safety requirements. The key to keeping them safe is good maintenance, and there are extensive maintenance requirements for all airplanes, young and old, that airlines typically exceed. In the early ’90s those requirements were stiffened for older planes. As airplanes reach certain operational milestones, airlines perform extensive inspections and modifications to the airplane’s structure. Sections of skin are replaced. So are door frames, lines of rivets and other structure that may weaken from repeated pressurization and environmental conditions encountered through the years. All of this is done according to a scheduled maintenance plan that’s based on years of operating experience. Many older airplanes also have the latest avionics systems aboard. If an airline decides to keep an airplane in service, it often incorporates new systems that help flight crews do their jobs more efficiently and safely. In fact, the FAA has mandated some of them —
