Flight operations regulations – New rules
CASA has announced that the flight operations regulations will be consolidated to combine the operating and flight rules, for a variety of aircraft and operations and will affect all AOC holders.
These new regulations will take effect from 2 December 2021.
What’s happening?
This change will see 10 new Civil Aviation Safety Regulations (CASRs), be created with the new rules applying to all pilots and operators in Australia. The aim is to make the process simpler, easy to understand, operationally focused and based on the activity you do.
December 2021 will mark the commencement date of the new regulations for the majority of operators however operators should plan for the transition well in advance to ensure all necessary manuals and procedures are in place by the commencement date.
Why are these changes coming into practice?
These regulations amendments are being carried out to ensure a safer industry that balances the best international practices with our local operating conditions.
One of the main aims of the new rules is to improve the safety of charter operations. The new rules will create one category of air transport, to combine the charter and regular public transport (RPT) flights, to reduce the statistical difference in accident rates, whilst scaling the requirements to the size and complexity of the operations.
Rather than relying on multiple exemptions, and confusing Civil Aviation Regulations 1988 (CARs) and Civil Aviation Orders, the new rules will consolidate existing requirements into activity-based parts and supporting MOS’s.
What you’ll need to do
If you operate under an Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) you will need to make sure you have the following:
- Identify what Part(s) of the regulations your current operations will fall under
- Ensure you have a Safety Management System (SMS) in place as well as safety manager
- Have a training and checking system established
- Make sure you update your operating manuals. Not sure how? Progressive Aviation can help you. Give us a call for advice on what this means for you.
You can find out more about the regulation changes from the CASA website HERE.
