Opinion No 03/2026

Regular update of the Initial Airworthiness Regulation and associated acceptable means of compliance and guidance material

This Opinion proposes to amend Regulation (EU) No 748/2012 (the Initial Airworthiness Regulation) in order to address miscellaneous issues of a non-controversial nature. The objective is to ensure that the Initial Airworthiness Regulation is fit for purpose, cost-effective, and can be effectively implemented. To achieve this, the following main actions are proposed:

  • amendment of the articles of the Initial Airworthiness Regulation to correspond to the current situation regarding grandfathering and transitional measures and correction of cross references to the points in Annex I (Part 21) to the Initial Airworthiness Regulation;
  • clarification of the competence requirements for pilots performing operational suitability data flight tests in Annex I (Part 21);
  • clarification and simplification of the reporting obligations for production organisation approval holders in Annex I (Part 21); and
  • correction of inconsistencies, typographical errors and cross references in Annex I (Part 21).

The proposed regulatory material is expected to enhance the efficiency of Annex I (Part 21) implementation and ensure alignment with the current industry practices