FAA Issues ANPRM on Using Restricted-Category Aircraft to Transport Wildfire Firefighters
Why It MattersA new regulatory pathway for restricted-category aircraft could expand the pool of eligible airframes available for wildfire firefighter transport operations.
The Federal Aviation Administration has published an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, dated September 14, seeking public input on changes that could allow certain restricted-category civil aircraft to transport firefighters to and from wildfires. Under current regulations, restricted-category civil aircraft generally cannot carry people unless those individuals are performing an essential function directly associated with the aircraft's certificated special-purpose operation, a standard firefighters traveling to conduct ground suppression work do not meet. The FAA has also determined that transporting such firefighters does not qualify as an aerial-work operation under Part 119.
The proposed changes would address those restrictions by potentially adding firefighter transport to a wildfire as a special-purpose operation under §91.313, along with corresponding amendments to Part 119 exceptions. The action stems from Section 360 of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, which directed the agency to establish a regulatory pathway for transporting firefighters aboard certain restricted-category aircraft; former military aircraft are explicitly excluded under that legislation.
The ANPRM is not a final rule. The FAA is collecting information from firefighting organizations, aircraft operators, and other stakeholders to help shape a future rulemaking, with comments due by November 13, 2026.
