Boeing 737 users should repeatedly test the switches and replace them if necessary. Manufacturer Boeing, which previously informed customers about the problem, said in a response that it supports the FAA guideline.
Failure of the switches can cause the so-called cabin altitude warning system will not activate if the air pressure in the cabin exceeds a level comparable to an altitude of 10,000 feet. The air pressure in 737 cabins corresponds to an altitude of up to 8,000 feet (2,438 meters).
The FAA reports that the tests must be performed within 2,000 hours of flight time since the last test of the cabin pressure switches, before aircraft have flown for 2,000 hours, or within 90 days of the directive’s effective date.
The directive follows an issue reported by a 737 user in September last year with the pressure switches on three different models of the widely used aircraft type. There are no known instances of switch failure leading to in-flight air pressure problems.
In the Netherlands, all four major airlines (KLM, Transavia, TUI fly and Corendon Dutch Airlines) fly with the Boeing 737. Of the 11,800 active Boeing 737s, about 2,500 fly in the US and 9,300 in the rest of the world.
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