The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is considering changes that could make it easier to use certain restricted-category aircraft to transport firefighters to and from wildfires.
The agency published an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) Sept. 14 seeking information from firefighting organizations, aircraft operators and other stakeholders. The effort would eventually allow firefighters performing ground suppression work to ride aboard certain restricted-category aircraft.
Under current rules, restricted-category civil aircraft generally cannot carry people unless they are performing an essential function associated with the aircraft’s certificated special purpose operation. Firefighters traveling to a wildfire to perform ground suppression don’t meet that standard. The FAA also has determined that transporting firefighters for ground operations does not qualify as an aerial-work operation under Part 119.
The proposed changes would address those restrictions by potentially adding transportation of firefighters to a wildfire as a special-purpose operation under §91.313 and making corresponding changes to the Part 119 exceptions.
The FAA’s action stems from Section 360 of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, which directed the agency to establish a regulatory path for transporting firefighters aboard certain restricted-category aircraft. The legislation specifically excludes former military aircraft from the provision.
The FAA is not proposing a final rule yet. It is collecting information that will help determine what a future rule could look like.
Comments on the proposal are due Nov. 13, 2026.
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