Continued resistance forces JAA to allow more consultation on revised proposal
European approval for single-engine public-transport operations in instrument meteorological conditions (SEIMC) is to be delayed until February 2005, or later. Formal clearance had been expected by this month (Flight International, 16-22 December 2003).
Now, following continued resistance, thought to come from Germany, Italy and the UK, the European Joint Aviation Authorities plans 90 days consultation from 1 June on a revised proposal that could lead to approval in not less than nine months' time.
Simultaneously, it proposes modifications to JAR Ops 1 fixed-wing public-transport regulations to accommodate all-weather flying with single-engined aircraft, having previously assumed the use always of multi-engined equipment.
The measure - notice of proposed amendment 29 (NPA 29) - is already in its eleventh draft and is entering its fourth consultation period. JAA national-exemption procedures have allowed cargo-only SEIMC operations in Denmark, Finland, France, Greenland, Norway, Spain, and Sweden, while Switzerland has cleared domestic passenger and cargo flights by Swiss companies flying Swiss-registered aircraft.
The latest draft requires SEIMC operators to be within still-air gliding range of a suitable landing area for all but a total of 15min within any flight; this so-called safety "risk period" can comprise an accumulation of shorter times. Previous proposals mandated flights always to be within reach of a landing site (with allowance for restricted operations over water or inhospitable terrain). The JAR Ops 1 modifications bring in rules on take-off runway visual range and visibility minima.
Potential SEIMC approval in early 2005 might still be frustrated, however, since further consultation allows comment on the whole document - not just draft changes - leading to industry fears that recalcitrant national regulators could yet inhibit a recommendation for adoption of NPA 29.
Ultimately, all JAA countries need not concur. It is sufficient for a consensus to support the proposal, with any dissenters providing an appendix to a formal recommendation for adoption.
Source: Flight International
