14 CFR Part 382 Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability in Air Travel (Air Carrier Access Act): Preamble and Section-by-Section Analysis (with amendments issued through July 2010)

382.97 To which aircraft does the requirement to provide boarding and deplaning assistance through the use of lifts apply? At U.S. airports where lift or ramp boarding is required, the requirement applies to aircraft with 19 or more passenger seats, with a few stated exceptions. The Department reserves the option to expand the list of aircraft to which the requirement does not apply, if we determine that there is no model of boarding device on the market that will accommodate the aircraft without a significant risk of serious damage to the aircraft or injury to persons, or that there are internal barriers in the aircraft that would preclude passengers who use a boarding or aisle chair from reaching a non-exit row seat. The Department need not amend this rule in order to make such a determination.