The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has agreed to extend discussion of the most contentious points arising from its proposed new rules for aircraft operations and has indicated that it could permit greater flexibility for business aviation on issues such as flight- and duty-time limitations (FTL). At a meeting with the European Business Aviation Association (EBAA) on July 9, EASA officials acknowledged that the new operating
rules need to allow latitude for business aircraft operators to comply with safety requirements in a way that fits the day-to-day realities of their operations, rather than expecting them to adhere to a model established purely with large airlines in mind.
The comment period on notice of proposed amendment NPA 2009- 02a-02g covering air operations officially ended on July 31. The EASA has said that it will spend the next seven or eight months conducting detailed analysis of the responses and adjusting its draft rules accordingly before publishing all the responses in the spring of 2010. It will then allow another two months for further comment from the industry before beginning the political phase of the consultation leading up to the final rules being approved by the European Commission’s Council of Transport Ministers. This approval had been set for October 2010, but the EASA’s desire to make the operating rules suitable for all categories of operator seems to indicate that it is willing to extend the consultation if necessary.
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