JUSTIN WASTNAGE / LONDON
European private pilots have scored a significant victory after four additional categories of light aircraft were introduced into forthcoming European legislation on minimum aviation insurance requirements.
The European Parliament has subdivided into four new classes the insurance minima for aircraft with a maximum take-off weight (MTOW) below 25,000kg (55,000lb) set out in the European Commission's (EC) original proposal.
Before the amendment, operators of all aircraft with an MTOW below 25,000kg would have had to be insured for "damages sustained by third parties in the event of accidents as well as acts of war or terrorism" of 80 million special drawing rights (SDRs) (€98 million/$112 million). This would have been an "unbearable burden for smaller aircraft operators", says the European Parliament.
The introduction of the new categories mirrors the advice of the International Council of Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association and several national flying associations, which lobbied against the EC's initial proposals. The bill's sponsor, MEP Jim Nicholson, says the new categories "should make it easier for flying schools and hobby clubs" to meet insurance requirements. He will recommend an impact assessment to win over European transport ministers, who are scheduled to debate the proposal in June.
Nicholson says damage caused by terrorism is directly proportional to the size of an aircraft's structure, adding that the 550-seat Airbus A380 is likely to require a ninth, "ultra-large aircraft" minimum war risk insurance category.
Category 1 of the new classes would require aircraft with an MTOW below 2,000kg to prove war risk cover of 5 million SDRs; category 2 (less than 6,000kg) needs insurance of at least 5 million SDRs; category 3 (less than 14,000kg) requires 9 million SDRs; and category 4 (less than 25,000kg) requires 12 million SDRs.
Source: Flight International
