Nolinor Aviation (N5, Montréal Trudeau) will install Fire Containment Covers (FCCs) and specialised nets in its B737-200 fleet to comply with Transport Canada’s mandate to transition from Class B to Class F cargo compartments.
The changes are driven by the cancellation of the Alternative Methods of Compliance (AMOC) for Airworthiness Directive 93-07-15, which applied to large transport category aircraft with Class B cargo compartments, such as the Boeing B707, B727, B737, B747, and B757 families. Transport Canada set June 2025 as the exemption deadline to comply. Nolinor Aviation has already begun preparing for a fleet-wide rollout of the FCC solution and expects to be fully compliant by June.
Under United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) classification, a Class B cargo compartment is configured in a manner that allows a crew member to extinguish any fire in the compartment using a handheld fire extinguisher. The person combating the fire must have access to the compartment although it is not necessary for that person to physically enter the compartment. A Class F cargo compartment has the means to suppress the fire without requiring someone to enter the compartment. In both types, the cargo compartments are found on the main deck.
Instead of changing to another type of aircraft, which was not a feasible solution for Nolinor Aviation due to its gravel runway operations, “our team found a solution that made it possible to keep the Combi configuration around and improve safety, ensuring we meet regulatory standards,” said Marco Prud’Homme, the company's president.
The FCCs and specialised nets eliminate the need for fixed bulkheads, which would limit operational flexibility, while providing six hours of passive fire containment protection, with a service life of three years, the company explained.
The ch-aviation fleets module shows Nolinor Aviation’s fleet comprises 16 aircraft, including two B737-200s, one B737-200(QC), six B737-200Cs, one B737-300(QC), three B737-400s, one B737-800, one Learjet 45, and one Learjet 45(XR).
