Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that pitot tubes and other pressure sensitive instruments in aviation are of the highest quality to ensure passenger safety.

The design of pressure sensitive systems is required to meet specified standards set out in legislation. The system hardware and its operation are furthermore frequently inspected and tested by approved maintenance organisations as part of detailed aircraft’s maintenance programme.

Aircraft operators and maintenance organisations are also required to ensure that the systems are compliant with the criteria set by the original equipment manufacturer to ensure high level of safety and confidence in equipment.