URGENT!!! - OXYGEN ESCAPE ROUTES

[ECAM Status]

To anyone out there that has the reference from EU OPS as to the conditions when oxygen escape routes are required I would very much appreciate to get that reference. It is rather urgent. Thanks

[Checkboard]

OPS 1.290 Flight preparation

(b) The commander shall not commence a flight unless he/she is satisfied that:
...
9. the provisions specified in the operations manual in respect of fuel, oil and oxygen requirements, minimum safe altitudes, aerodrome operating minima and availability of alternate aerodromes, where required, can be complied with for the planned flight;

Shows that it is the commander's responsibility to make sure that the amount of oxygen carried is sufficient for the route of flight.

First is the oxygen carrying requirement:

OPS 1.770 Supplemental oxygen — pressurised aeroplanes

1. An operator shall not operate a pressurised aeroplane at pressure altitudes above 10 000 ft unless supplemental oxygen equipment, capable of storing and dispensing the oxygen supplies required by this paragraph, is provided.
2. The amount of supplemental oxygen required shall be determined on the basis of cabin pressure altitude, flight duration and the assumption that a cabin pressurisation failure will occur at the altitude or point of flight that is most critical from the standpoint of oxygen need, and that, after the failure, the aeroplane will descend in accordance with emergency procedures specified in the Aeroplane Flight Manual to a safe altitude for the route to be flown that will allow continued safe flight and landing.

Manufacturers comply with this provision by fitting either bottle oxygen or oxygen generators in the cabin. In either case they are designed to supply for a specific time. For oxygen generators, two types are generally supplied, a 20 minute generator (for flights around most of the world) and a 40 minute generator (for flights around the Hymalayas/Andes).

If your airline's area of operations contains high-altitude areas large enough that it is not possible to simply transit to an area with a low enough MSA, then they specify special descent plans which give navigation guidance to allow for the descent to a safe MSA. These are usually in the form of charts.

Here's a Jeppesen example:

http://img46.imageshack.us/img46/9269/vlcsnap2010091218h50m33.png

For the Alps, there is a generic Jeppesen "High Altitude Escape Chart" (from memory) in the text section, En-route, Page E-11

You should also be aided by:

EU-OPS, Appendix 1 to OPS 1.1045, Operations Manual Contents

10.2. The procedure for determining the amount of oxygen required and the quantity that is available. The flight profile, number of occupants and possible cabin decompression must be considered. The information provided must be in a form in which it can be used without difficulty.

This shows that your operations manual must provide simple and easy guidance in situations where escape routes are necessary to meet the requirements of the following paragraphs, with regard to the amount of oxygen carried.