[Peetwo]

Su_Spence pitch to the AAA and Part 139 - 

Via Fort Fumble HQ:

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Australian Airports Association: OPS SWAP conference

Date: 1 June 2022

Location: Sydney

Speaker: Pip Spence, Chief Executive Officer and Director of Aviation Safety

PART 139 Aerodromes

One thing the pandemic did not stop was the transition to Part 139.

The deadline for the switch to the new regulations passed on 13 May and I would like to thank you and the team at CASA who put in the demanding work through these difficult times to complete the change.

We could not have done this without you. I’m pleased to say all the former registered aerodromes that were expected to transition to the new rules have now done so.

We all knew that Part 139 needed review and that it failed to reflect not just the operating requirements of new generation aircraft, but significant advances in technology and changes to aerodrome operations.

Our aim was to simplify and clarify the requirements to reduce the regulatory burden and costs on aerodromes while at the same time improving safety.

One key change was to make certificates scalable to reflect the size and frequency of operations at an aerodrome because we knew there wasn’t one size that fitted all.

The changes allow for far more flexibility for aerodromes in terms of outcome-based legislation.

What does that mean in practice? We focus on the results we want but don’t dictate a specific action or process that must be followed.

You know your business and will be able to determine how best to get those results.

With the May deadline now gone, we will be watching how the part 139 rules operate to see if any improvements are needed.

We’re as keen as you are to identify and resolve any issues with the way the regulations work in practice. We can only do that if you work with us and let us know about anything that seems like an unintended consequence.

Wider reforms

The Part 139 changes are an example of the ongoing program of reform CASA is undertaking to deal with issues industry has raised with us while we also refine the structure of the organisation itself.

We are committed to improving transparency, communicating our intentions in a timely manner and explaining ourselves clearly.

We want to work with industry to reduce complexity while making sure Australia remains one of the safest aviation environments in the world.

In addition to reforms on Part 139, our new flight operations regulations came into effect in December and we recently released our General Aviation Workplan.

Our General Aviation Workplan is an important initiative that largely aims to reduce the regulatory burden for private and recreational aviation users, many of them your users.

We are continually working to improve our new website and earlier last month we responded to feedback by releasing a new ‘mega-menu’ designed to improve navigation and make content easier to discover.

We’ve beefed up staffing at our Client Service Centre to deal with increased demand after the opening of the COVID floodgates produced a deluge of requests.

You’ll also recall the Guidance Delivery centre was set up to provide a nationally consistent response to queries and prevent the potential for confusion when people received differing answers from various parts of CASA.

This is consistent with our push to break down the silos at CASA to allow it to function better as a national organisation.

While there have been some teething problems, we believe this national model will ultimately facilitate clearer and better communication with you and other industry sectors.

Plus:

A new approach

As I mentioned earlier, we have seen many airports in recent years moving to diversify their revenue streams by developing non-aviation land for commercial uses.

Sometimes the proposed land use comes into conflict with the best aviation safety practices.

There are global discussions underway about changes to the obstacle limitation surfaces —or OLS — system.

The OLS System was implemented by the International Civil Aviation Organization in 1950 and last fully overhauled some four decades ago.

This system has served airports well by limiting the growth of nearby obstacles that affect safe aircraft operations.

However, there have been significant developments in aircraft and airspace management technology over that time and we now know the position of an aeroplane with much more precision.

As a result, ICAO has been investigating how the OLS system can be updated and CASA has been monitoring these developments so we can be ready for any changes.

After six years of extensive work, ICAO is proposing significant changes with new nomenclature and new surfaces that are expected to be more flexible.

From an airport perspective, this could see restrictions relaxed on airspace that is not required to protect aviation operations under the new system but is currently out of bounds to high intensity development.

ICAO is soliciting feedback and is working towards an applicability date of 2026, so watch this space.

Hmm...does this mean we may have to wait (at least) till 2026 before the final report of the ATSB Essendon DFO approval process investigation is released? (ie the DFO might be ICAO compliant and legal by then -   )  





MTF...P2