A new final rule issued by the FAA last month will subject airports hosting scheduled flights in aircraft designed to hold between 10 and 30 passenger seats to standards now reserved for larger airports under FAR Part 139. The rule would reclassify U.S. airports into four categories, based on service type. Airports subject for the first time to Part 139 would fall under Class III, a category that allows FAA-approved alternative firefighting and EMS provisions “comparable” to the standards set in Index A, which covers airplanes less than 90 feet in length. The FAA said it would also consider exemptions for financially strapped communities and help others secure federal AIP funds. The rule also exempts small airports in Alaska.

FAA estimates place the resulting cost increases at the 37 soon-to-be Class III airports at $33.4 million over 10 years. An FAA report to Congress projected “minimal” effect on the 26 Class III airports that host EAS services, but acknowledged that the carriers would have to bear added cost burdens until they negotiate new EAS contracts. The report projected a need for another $3.6 million in annual EAS funds to cover the difference. It also acknowledged that combined profits of carriers flying into Class III airports not covered by EAS subsidies would drop by $513,201 annually, but that service levels would fall by no more than 4 percent. The new rule takes effect this June 9, but gives Class III airports a year to comply.