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The use of military aerodromes by civil aircraft. Introduction ( 1 ). Area of common interest of States A harmonised approach would be beneficial in order to improve the level of safety The words “military aerodromes” also include government owned facilities not regulated by CAA
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The use of military aerodromes by civil aircraft
Introduction (1) • Area of common interest of States • A harmonised approach would be beneficial in order to improve the level of safety • The words “military aerodromes” also include government owned facilities not regulated by CAA • Two different branches of administration with two different and conflicting sets of objectives and regulations • There is no evidence that military aerodromes have a worse safety record Aerodrome Safety Workshop - Almaty, Kazakhstan - 18 to 22 November2002
Introduction (2) • The civil use of military aerodromes is small in comparison with the volume of civil aerodrome operations • There are persistent and delicate safety issues associated with the civil use of military aerodromes that need to be addressed and may require safety regulation solutions Aerodrome Safety Workshop - Almaty, Kazakhstan - 18 to 22 November2002
Aim The purpose of this lecture is: • to examine some aspects of the use of military aerodromes from a CAA viewpoint • to identify areas of regulatory difficulty • to highlight potential vulnerabilities • to recommend solutions Aerodrome Safety Workshop - Almaty, Kazakhstan - 18 to 22 November2002
Current position (1) • Civil aviation is based on interdependence of the ICAO SARPS • These SARPS do not differentiate between various ownerships • Annex 14 shall apply to all aerodromes open for civil aviation • Þ The standards should be the same !!! Aerodrome Safety Workshop - Almaty, Kazakhstan - 18 to 22 November2002
Current position (2) • Compliance with the SARPS of ICAO Annex 14 varies among States • From full compliance to sometimes no compliance • Also there is a lack of visibility and traceability in the regulatory process • Even when standards are similar, interpretation may differ due to the different culture Aerodrome Safety Workshop - Almaty, Kazakhstan - 18 to 22 November2002
Current position (3) • For some operations military regulations are more demanding (FOD, access control) • Military aerodromes are designed to meet national or other requirements • They are often optimised for fighter operations rather than large aircraft Aerodrome Safety Workshop - Almaty, Kazakhstan - 18 to 22 November2002
Current position (4) Military aerodromes can be divided into three categories, depending on the level of civil involvement: • Strictly military aerodromes - managed and operated by a military organisation • Military aerodromes with commercial air transport infrastructure and operations - part of the aerodrome is dedicated to commercial operations • Joint aerodromes - regular civil aerodrome with scheduled passenger operations coexists with a military aerodrome Aerodrome Safety Workshop - Almaty, Kazakhstan - 18 to 22 November2002
Potential safety issues (1) There are two safety regulation problems: • military aerodromes that do not meet civil standards • military aerodromes that are not accountable to CAA There are three areas with potential safety issues: • design • aerodrome operations (incl. ATM & CNS) • accountability Aerodrome Safety Workshop - Almaty, Kazakhstan - 18 to 22 November2002
Discussion The problem is approached by considering the parties involved, their responsibilities and interests: • Military authorities commanding the aerodrome • Civil operators • CAA AGA/ATM Divisions • CAA OPS Division • Military aviation authority/flight safety authority • Public interest/opinion • Civil aerodrome operators • Government Aerodrome Safety Workshop - Almaty, Kazakhstan - 18 to 22 November2002
Parties involved (1) Military authorities: • are not accountable to CAA • by accepting civil use may have committed themselves legally to offer some minimum safety level • in case of an accident caused by negligence or failure to meet the standards, may be found responsible in civil court • usually benefit both economically and operationally from civil use (interest) • some civil operations may be vital Aerodrome Safety Workshop - Almaty, Kazakhstan - 18 to 22 November2002
Parties involved (2) The civil operators: • are often bound by OPS requirements to define the safety level of the military aerodrome in Operations Manuals • are expected to specify requirement for RFF and visual aids effecting minima • the fact that other facilities do not meet the requirements may not be an important issue • if an accident is caused because the aerodrome did not meet the standards, the aircraft operator is not necessarily responsible Aerodrome Safety Workshop - Almaty, Kazakhstan - 18 to 22 November2002
Parties involved (3) CAA AGA/ATM/OPS Divisions: • are responsible for the safety regulation and inspecting of civil aerodromes and normally for the civil part of military aerodromes • this jurisdiction is given in national legislation • if military aerodromes are not exempted specifically from licensing this may imply that the CAA has responsibility and powers • in the case of foreign operators violating common operating regulations, CAA OPS can inform their counterpart in the State of the operator Aerodrome Safety Workshop - Almaty, Kazakhstan - 18 to 22 November2002
Parties involved (4) The military aviation authority/flight safety authority: • is the military counterpart of CAA • is expected to understand the issues of civil use of military aerodromes • often has powers to require corrections of the deficiencies endangering the operations Aerodrome Safety Workshop - Almaty, Kazakhstan - 18 to 22 November2002
Parties involved (5) Public interest/opinion: • often sees a military aerodrome as an under-utilised asset • a local community may regard the military aerodrome as its civil aerodrome • the community often acquires funds for the development • military aerodromes are often seen as a partial solution to the capacity problems at larger airports Aerodrome Safety Workshop - Almaty, Kazakhstan - 18 to 22 November2002
Parties involved (6) The civil organisation operating on a military aerodrome: • may have similar responsibilities to operators of civil aerodromes • the civil part should be certified and there are regulations to that end Aerodrome Safety Workshop - Almaty, Kazakhstan - 18 to 22 November2002
Parties involved (7) The Government: • is at least responsible for approval of instrument approach procedures and contents of AIP’s • is empowered to determine for which type of air services an aerodrome may be used for civil operations • of some contracting States restrict operations to only aerodromes that conform to Annex 14 regulations • may have to subsidise the aerodrome investment and operating costs Aerodrome Safety Workshop - Almaty, Kazakhstan - 18 to 22 November2002
Options (1) • Any military aerodrome offering its services to civil aviation should be licensed and all facilities should be approved by CAA - legislative amendments may be required • Without legislative change, the military cannot be obliged to accept a civilian aerodrome operator - the CAA could open the discussion and take appropriate actions Aerodrome Safety Workshop - Almaty, Kazakhstan - 18 to 22 November2002
Options (2) • If a comprehensive solution is not possible, military aerodromes could be transferred to civil operations on a case-by-case basis - voluntary co-operation might be the way to proceed • As there are many parties interested in continuing civil use, parties could find a solution. CAA is the appropriate body to initiate. A key to this is financing • An alternative is to leave the situation unchanged, based on the premise that the military authorities have responsibility for meeting Annex 14 requirements in relation to civil aviation Aerodrome Safety Workshop - Almaty, Kazakhstan - 18 to 22 November2002
Conclusions (1) • Currently many military aerodromes do not meet civilian standards • The military authorities are not normally accountable to CAA • This situation contravenes some basic principles of the safety regulation of civil aviation Aerodrome Safety Workshop - Almaty, Kazakhstan - 18 to 22 November2002
Conclusions (2) • The situation could be resolved by requiring certification and accountability to CAA • Where this is not possible other options should be considered: - make available only those aerodromes that meet Annex 14 requirements - have audited and identified differences - certification by the military as equivalent to civil standards • When comprehensive solutions are not possible use different partial solutions to alleviate pressing problems Aerodrome Safety Workshop - Almaty, Kazakhstan - 18 to 22 November2002
Recommendations It is recommended that States: • review, and where necessary redefine, their policy on the use of government aerodromes • determine how best to address safety and liability concerns using the outlined options • formulate and introduce legislative amendments, if required, to implement that policy Aerodrome Safety Workshop - Almaty, Kazakhstan - 18 to 22 November2002
Aerodrome Safety Workshop - Almaty, Kazakhstan - 18 to 22 November2002