Regulations for Emissions from Aircraft Engines
Overview
PM Standards
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalizes particulate matter (PM) emission standards and test procedures applicable to certain classes of engines used by civil subsonic jet airplanes such as commercial passenger and freight aircraft and larger business jets. These final standards and test procedures align with the aircraft engine standards adopted by the United Nations' International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in 2017 and 2020.
EPA finalizes the proposal to migrate, modernize, and streamline Title 40 Code of Federal Regulations Part 87 to 40 Code of Federal Regulations Part 1031. As part of this update, the EPA also finalizes several technical amendments to align with ICAO.
Final Rule Control of Air Pollution from Aircraft Engines: Emission Standards and Test Procedures (pdf) (published November 23, 2022)
NOx Standards
EPA adopted emission standards and related provisions for aircraft gas turbine engines with rated thrusts greater than 26.7 kilonewtons. These engines are used primarily on commercial passenger and freight aircraft. The requirements were previously adopted by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Included in the rule are two new tiers of more stringent emission standards for nitrogen oxides (NOx). These are referred to as Tier 6 standards and Tier 8 standards. The Tier 6 standards became effective for newly-manufactured aircraft engines beginning in 2013.
Other Work
In 2009, EPA's Office of Transportation Air Quality (OTAQ) and the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Office of Environment and Energy (AEE) provided an organic gas speciation profile for use in emission inventories of aircraft equipped with turbofan, turbojet, and turboprop engines fueled with kerosene-based jet-A fuel.
List of Related Regulations
Below is a list of all regulations related to NOx pollution from aircraft.
- Rule summaries;
- Regulatory impact analyses;
- Comment summaries;
- Rule histories; and
- Fact sheets.*
*Note: Rule-related materials vary by rule.