That the UK CAA would issue such a report with such short time lines; without any substantive research into the availability and training of breathing equipment or side floats is baffling.
OEMs have no current credible solution to side floats. If you are in a side floating helicopter, sitting in the middle and release your seatbelt, isn't the first thing you will do is to fall to the bottom of the side inverted helicopter and crush the people on the "down" side?
What about the consequences of inadvertent inflation? Which side will deploy? Fitted one side or both? Manual or auto? Water or inertia switch activated? Pilot or pax deployed? Armed on each take off and landing or all the time? Winglets?
Industry is already considering reduced payloads, more flights and having to extend temporarily again, the life of the 332L carrying more passengers in a 33 year old airframe with old technology and little automation further delaying standardised automation training and operations.
This academic and today, impractical report appears as a rushed reaction in response to public pressure produced by a regulator trying to catch up with industry.
The UK CAA has done some good work, this is not its best.