Why twin-engine airplanes could not fly over oceans in the past

Some of you have been asking: Why twin-engine airplanes could not fly over oceans just a decade ago? The answer is simple (Kinda)

About 15 years ago, twin-engine aircraft such as the 737, and many more were BANNED from flying 30 mins away from a diversion airport, which made them impossible to fly over vast and wide oceans, which meant that airlines had to pay a bomb to fly over the Atlantic with 3 or 4 engine jets. Of course, there were loopholes like the MD11 or the DC10 as they technically had 3 engines but one day it all changed when Airbus entered the market. They were making their first-ever aircraft: The Airbus A300. Airbus was collapsing, on the verge of bankruptcy because the A300 was a twin jet that was made for long haul travel but it would be impossible to fly it over oceans but thankfully, out of nowhere the ICAO approved Airbus's request to be the first-ever twin-engine airliner to be able to fly over the oceans with an ETOPS (Extended twin-engine airplane operations) type rating of 90 minutes, which meant that it could fly 90 minutes away from a diversion airport! Over time, planes started getting more high tech and ETOPS started to get higher and higher until just a few years ago when the 747-8 got the highest ETOPS ever of a type rating of 330! It can travel 5 and a half hours non stop over oceans without a diversion airport nearby!

Do you think that ETOPS is safe?

Comment below 😀

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Written by: Sohail Sawlani