NPA 2022-105

Regular update of air operations rules — Provision of rescue and firefighting services for General Aviation flights

The objective of this Notice of Proposed Amendment (NPA) is to introduce a proportionate provision of rescue and firefighting services (RFFS) for General Aviation (GA) flights, based on the type of aeroplanes that are used for GA operations.
This NPA proposes to exempt non-commercial air operations with other-than-complex motor powered aircraft (NCO) from the requirement to provide RFFS due to their lower risk: their low mass, low take-off and landing speeds, as well as their limited fuel capacity, which are unlikely to cause the type of take-off or landing accident that would require an aerodrome fire brigade.
The proposed amendments are expected to maintain safety and, at the same time, increase cost-effectiveness because aerodrome operators will no longer bear the cost of establishing and/or maintaining RFFS for GA flights. Moreover, it is expected that GA pilots will have access to more aerodromes, which in turn will lead to flight efficiency and reduce the related flight costs. Furthermore, the proposed amendments will incorporate the related amendments of International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Annex 6, Part II, and Annex 14, Volume I into the Acceptable Means of Compliance (AMC) and Guidance Material (GM) to Regulations (EU) Nos 139/2014 (‘Aerodromes’) and 965/2012 (‘Air OPS’).