Proposed flight operations miscellaneous amendments - Tranche 1 - (CD 2605OS)
Exemption relating to aircraft type and model significant changes
Current requirements
Regulation 119.020 of Civil Aviation Safety Regulations 1998 (CASR) defines what changes constitute a significant change for Part 119 and affected operators.
Significant changes are those changes made by an operator that require an operator to obtain pre-approval from CASA before it is implemented. This requires the operator to submit to CASA:
- an application form with the technical details of the proposed change
- their proposed exposition procedures supporting the change.
They must then pay a fee before CASA evaluates the application and decides whether to approve it.
Other operator changes, referred to in CASA's forms and guidance materials as non-significant changes, must be assessed by the operator using their change management process.
If the change is assessed by the operator as non-significant, the change may be implemented without CASA's pre-approval, and notification to CASA provided in accordance with the operator's change management process. Notification can occur well after the change has been implemented.
Before Part 119 of CASR commenced, aviation participants provided feedback to CASA that paragraph 119.020(a)(viii) of CASR, which defined any change to the aircraft types or models (except ceasing to use a type or model) used by an operator to be a significant change, was too restrictive and burdensome.
CASA agreed with this feedback and modified the effect of paragraph 119.020(a)(viii) of CASR by exempting Australian air transport operators from compliance with this paragraph and substituting alternative aircraft related changes that would require these operators to obtain CASA's pre-approval. These alternative criteria are currently specified in section 7 of the instrument below.
CASA EX68/24 - Part 119 of CASR – Supplementary Exemptions and Directions Instrument 2024
- section 7 - Significant change of type or model of aircraft — exemption
Proposed amendment
The amendment will incorporate the alternative criteria currently specified in section 7 of CASA EX68/24, into regulation 119.020 of CASR.