Air transport: Commission adopts new rules for safe commercial flights
25/10/2012
EU citizens will have safer flights following today's publication of a new regulation with modernised binding rules for commercial operations of airplanes and helicopters.
The previous regulation on commercial air operations was adopted in 2006. These updated rules reflect scientific and technological developments in the aviation industry and changes in international aviation standards since then. The aim of the regulation is to boost efficiency in air operations while maintaining a high level of safety.
To achieve this, the new rules provide for a simple, risk-based process of certification and oversight; they reflect scientific and technological state of the art in the field of air operations, based on evidence worldwide; and they introduce proportionality with regard to the scale and complexity of operations – for example by distinguishing between different types of operations such as local or international flights. As a consequence of the new rules, airlines will not need to get re-certified every year and small businesses will be subject to lighter administrative procedures.
The regulation also introduces the first EU-wide rules for helicopters to replace the various national ones existing today.
This regulation enters into force three days following its publication. A two-year transitional period will allow for a flexible and smooth conversion to the new regime.
