According to a study by UK research contractor Qinetiq for the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), commercial air transport flights by single-engine aircraft in instrument meteorological conditions or at night (SE-IMC/night) should not be prohibited automatically. That is the good news for proponents of SE-IMC/night operations who have been seeking the clearance for more than 20 years. The bad news is that further public comment likely will be required and EASA has not yet scheduled the necessary rulemaking process.
The agency inherited responsibility for considering commercial SE-IMC/night flights from Europe’s now-defunct Joint Aviation Authorities (JAA), which failed to resolve arguments between the industry and national regulators. Individual countries–including Australia, Canada, the U.S., and European Union states such as Denmark, Finland and Norway–have adopted rules that permit commercial SE-IMC operations under specified conditions, and the International Civil Aviation Organization issued SE-IMC operating standards in 2005.
