KATE SARSFIELD / LONDON
The US General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) and the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) are objecting to a European Joint Aviation Authorities proposal that would require all European corporate aviation operators to register with their national aviation authority as non-commercial operators.
GAMA and the NBAA, which have been involved in negotiations over the JAR Ops 2 operating regulations rulemaking, say the formal registration of flight departments as suggested in the advanced notice of proposed amendment (A-NPA) is unnecessary and places an unjustified economic and bureaucratic burden on operators.
"This is a solution looking for a problem," says Barry Valentine, GAMA's senior vice-president of international affairs. "The safety levels of corporate operators are the highest in the industry and this regulation will do nothing to improve on this," he adds.
The proposed regulation defines an operating base as any location where operational control of flights is exercised, including scheduling and flight planning.
"While we are encouraged that the JAA is introducing standard operating rules for non-commercial European operators we are concerned that the definition of a European operator in JAR Ops 2 is vague," says GAMA president Ed Bolen.
He suggests that a US-based company with European sales offices, flying US-registered aircraft, would be forced to register its flight department and be subject to "unwarranted regulation and inspection".
The JAA is considering all responses to the A-NPA and is expected to publish a notice of proposed amendment by the middle of next year, leading to the publication of the final rule by the end of 2005.
Source: Flight International
