Airworthiness

The Airworthiness section under the Operational Safety Section (OPS) is responsible for, amongst other things, the development of SARPs and guidance material related to the certification and airworthiness of aircraft. This page provides advanced information on airworthiness-related provisions and projects that the Secretariat would like to share with States and industry stakeholders, to facilitate the seamless implementation of such provisions in the future.

Halon Replacement as Fire Protection System on Aircraft

The information contained on this page aims to provide updates on the development of halon alternatives for aircraft fire extinguishing systems and SARPs related to Halon. The production of halon has been prohibited and halon supplies are diminishing. Although halon is currently available for aircraft use by recycling existing supplies and States have taken measures to mitigate contamination, the potential risk of contamination of the reserves still remains. In recognition of these issues and their potential impact on safety, transitioning in a timely manner from halon to safe and effective halon alternatives has now become more urgent.

ICAO SARPs related to Halon

Halon is used for fire suppression on civil aircraft in four extinguishing system applications i.e.: lavatory, cabin, engine and Auxiliary Power Unit (APU), and cargo compartment. ICAO provisions in Annex 6 — Operation of Aircraft and  Annex 8 — Airworthiness of Aircraft established the timeframe for the use of an alternate agent to halon for fire suppression on aircraft in all four fire extinguishing applications as follows:

a) Lavatory fire extinguishing systems used in aircraft produced on or after 31 December 2011;
b) Hand-held fire extinguishers used in aircraft produced on or after 31 December 2018;
c) Engine and APU fire extinguishing systems used in aircraft for which application for type certification will be submitted on or after 31 December 2014;
d) Cargo compartment fire suppression or extinguishing systems for which an application for a Type Certificate under Annex 8 Part IIIB is submitted to the State of Design on or after 28 November 2024 shall use extinguishing agents that are not listed in the 1987 Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.

Updates on the development of halon alternatives for use in aircraft fire extinguishing systems
For more information, please click here.

Online Airworthiness Information Network

Launched on 29 October 2014, the "Online Airworthiness Information Network" is a repository for States to share airworthiness information with other States for States to contact each other regarding the continuing airworthiness of aircraft and facilitate the cross border transferability of aircraft. In order for this tool to be effective, States are encouraged to keep their airworthiness information updated.

Please click on Introducing the Online Airworthiness Information Network for more information.

Please click on Online Airworthiness Information Network in ICAO iSTARS to view and update airworthiness information of ICAO Member States. In order to have access to this link, please subscribe to iSTARS in ICAO Secure Portal. State Focal Points should refer to State Letter 2014/71 dated 29 Oct 2014 for more information.

Electronic Aircraft Maintenance Records (EAMR)

The current ICAO provisions on aircraft maintenance records and continuing airworthiness records describe the use of both paper and electronic formats. Currently, aircraft maintenance records are mostly stored in a paper format. However, air operators, aircraft manufacturers and maintenance organizations are continuously migrating towards the use of electronic aircraft maintenance records (EAMR) and continuing airworthiness records and digitally supported aircraft maintenance information. This also includes electronic maintenance records and continuing airworthiness records for aircraft, engines, propellers and associated parts. Some States have already published advisory material on the use of EAMR and continuing airworthiness information, are already allowing air operators, aircraft manufacturers and maintenance organizations to make use of EAMR, and digitally supported aircraft maintenance information.

The implementation of EAMR and continuing airworthiness records poses challenges such as electronic signature, security and integrity of records, and transferability from one record system to another. Clear provisions on EAMR and continuing airworthiness records would provide acceptable methods for the development of States' requirements and facilitate the implementation and acceptance of EAMR and continuing airworthiness records.

The Airworthiness Panel (AIRP) was tasked by the Air Navigation Commission (ANC) to consider developing provisions for electronic aircraft maintenance records and continuing airworthiness records in Annex 6, Annex 8 and guidance material for the acceptance of EAMR in the Airworthiness Manual – Doc 9760. The amendments to Annex 6 and Annex 8 have been adopted in March 2018 and became applicable in November 2018.

The guidance material on EAMR and continuing airworthiness records have been included in the unedited 4th edition of the Airworthiness Manual – Doc 9760 approved in July 2020.

Airworthiness Information

The Operational Safety Section (OPS) of the Air Navigation Bureau (ANB) is responsible for, amongst other things, the development of SARPs and guidance material related to the certification and airworthiness of aircraft.  This page provides advanced information on airworthiness related provisions and projects that the Secretariat would like to share with States and industry stakeholders, to facilitate the seamless implementation of such provisions in the future.

Maintenance on aircraft not under the responsibility of the contracting state issuing the Approved Maintenance Organization (AMO) approval

Annex 6 – Operation of Aircraft requires an aircraft to be maintained in an airworthy condition in accordance with the procedures acceptable to the State of Registry. The aircraft registration defines various requirements that apply to that aircraft, including continuing airworthiness. However, there are cases when maintenance needs to be performed on an aircraft not currently on a registry and where the future State of Registry is unknown. Examples of such cases are aircraft in storage, repossession of an aircraft in the case of default by a debtor, or an aircraft that was de-registered due to an irrevocable deregistration and export request authorization (IDERA) request and is in the middle of maintenance. In such cases, a regulatory framework for continuing airworthiness does not exist.

The current ICAO provisions on aircraft maintenance and continuing airworthiness do not consider maintenance on aircraft without registration - it is unclear whether this maintenance can be performed and, if so, how. Some States take a more restrictive approach and prohibit any maintenance on such aircraft. The Cross-border Transferability Task Force discussed the issue related to the continuing airworthiness of an aircraft without registration. It was acknowledged that aircraft without registration lack a specific regulatory airworthiness framework reference, and many States do not have a methodology to allow maintenance to be performed on them. This practice introduces complications when the aircraft is to be registered again, and therefore the issues related to aircraft maintenance without registration need to be addressed.

As a result, a note was published in amendment 109 to Annex 8 (see below) to clarify that the Approved Maintenance Organization (AMO) provisions in Annex 8 do not prevent the AMO from performing maintenance on aircraft which is not under the responsibility of the Contracting State issuing this approval; a practice that already occurs in many States. However, the State must have no obligation in relation to that particular maintenance or aircraft.

The guidance (CLICK HERE) was developed by the XBT-TF and the Airworthiness panel and will be included in the 5th edition of the Airworthiness Manual – Doc 9760.

Note.— The provisions in this Section do not prevent the maintenance organization from performing maintenance on an aircraft that is not under the responsibility of the Contracting State issuing this approval, including aircraft not registered in any Contracting State. Additional information is provided in the Airworthiness Manual (Doc 9760).

Guidance for Operators and Maintainers to prevent inadvertent activation when handling and maintaining Emergency Locator Transmitters (ELTs) 

During the Airworthiness Panel (AIRP)/6 meeting, the Panel discussed concerns associated with incorrect ELT test procedures activating false search and rescue alerts. Worldwide data provided by COSPAS-SARSAT indicated a high number of false alerts worldwide caused by a broad range of reasons generally classified as 'mishandling of ELTs. However, the data did not have enough details to indicate that incorrect maintenance procedures significantly contributed to the false alerts. Further information received from additional States, mainly through panel members, suggested that some problems associated with test procedures for the newer ELTs may be causing false alerts.

Activating a beacon for reasons other than to indicate a distress situation or without prior coordination with the appropriate COSPAS-SARSAT Mission Control Centre (MCC)¹ is considered an offense in many countries/territories. If you inadvertently activate the beacon in its operational mode, contact the appropriate agency in your region responsible for search and rescue coordination or the nearest COSPAS-SARSAT MCC as soon as possible and cancel the distress alert.

To maintain an ELT's reliability, maintenance is required to be performed as part of an aircraft's maintenance schedule/program. The typical broadcast frequencies for ELTs are 121.5 MHz and 406 MHz. Some ELTs transmitting on 121.5 MHz also transmit simultaneously on the 243.0 MHz frequency. ELTs operating in either broadcast frequency are monitored differently and thus have different requirements and procedures for conducting maintenance and handling.

The guidance (HERE) was developed by the AIRP and contained measures to prevent the inadvertent activation of emergency locator beacons and unnecessary deployment of SAR services. The guidance is designed to reduce the frequency of accidental ELT activations during handling and while maintaining an ELT. More information can be found in the reference section of the guidance.

¹ Note: https://cospas-sarsat.int/en/contacts-pro/contacts-details-all