Aerodrome Safety Workshop ICAO The use of military

Aerodrome Safety Workshop ICAO The use of military aerodromes by civil aircraft Almaty, Kazakhstan – 18 to 22 November 2002

Introduction (1) Q Area of common interest of States Q A harmonised approach would be beneficial in order to improve the level of safety Q The words “military aerodromes” also include government owned facilities not regulated by CAA Q Two different branches of administration with two different and conflicting sets of objectives and regulations Q There is no evidence that military aerodromes have a worse safety record Aerodrome Safety Workshop - Almaty, Kazakhstan - 18 to 22 November 2002 2

Introduction (2) Q The civil use of military aerodromes is small in comparison with the volume of civil aerodrome operations Q 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 November 2002 3

Aim The purpose of this lecture is: Q to examine some aspects of the use of military aerodromes from a CAA viewpoint Q to identify areas of regulatory difficulty Q to highlight potential vulnerabilities Q to recommend solutions Aerodrome Safety Workshop - Almaty, Kazakhstan - 18 to 22 November 2002 4

Current position (1) Q Civil aviation is based on interdependence of the ICAO SARPS Q These SARPS do not differentiate between various ownerships Q Annex 14 shall apply to all aerodromes open for civil aviation Q Þ The standards should be the same !!! Aerodrome Safety Workshop - Almaty, Kazakhstan - 18 to 22 November 2002 5

Current position (2) Q Compliance with the SARPS of ICAO Annex 14 varies among States Q From full compliance to sometimes no compliance Q Also there is a lack of visibility and traceability in the regulatory process Q Even when standards are similar, interpretation may differ due to the different culture Aerodrome Safety Workshop - Almaty, Kazakhstan - 18 to 22 November 2002 6

Current position (3) Q For some operations military regulations are more demanding (FOD, access control) Q Military aerodromes are designed to meet national or other requirements Q They are often optimised for fighter operations rather than large aircraft Aerodrome Safety Workshop - Almaty, Kazakhstan - 18 to 22 November 2002 7

Current position (4) Military aerodromes can be divided into three categories, depending on the level of civil involvement: Q Strictly military aerodromes - managed and operated by a military organisation Q Military aerodromes with commercial air transport infrastructure and operations - part of the aerodrome is dedicated to commercial operations Q Joint aerodromes - regular civil aerodrome with scheduled passenger operations coexists with a military aerodrome Aerodrome Safety Workshop - Almaty, Kazakhstan - 18 to 22 November 2002 8

Potential safety issues (1) There are two safety regulation problems: Q military aerodromes that do not meet civil standards Q military aerodromes that are not accountable to CAA There are three areas with potential safety issues: Q design Q aerodrome operations (incl. ATM & CNS) Q accountability Aerodrome Safety Workshop - Almaty, Kazakhstan - 18 to 22 November 2002 9

Discussion The problem is approached by considering the parties involved, their responsibilities and interests: QMilitary authorities commanding the aerodrome QCivil operators QCAA AGA/ATM Divisions QCAA OPS Division QMilitary aviation authority/flight safety authority QPublic interest/opinion QCivil aerodrome operators QGovernment Aerodrome Safety Workshop - Almaty, Kazakhstan - 18 to 22 November 2002 10

Parties involved (1) Q Q Q 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 November 2002 11

Parties involved (2) Q Q 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 November 2002 12

Parties involved (3) Q Q 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 November 2002 13

Parties involved (4) The military aviation authority/flight safety authority: Q is the military counterpart of CAA Q is expected to understand the issues of civil use of military aerodromes Q often has powers to require corrections of the deficiencies endangering the operations Aerodrome Safety Workshop - Almaty, Kazakhstan - 18 to 22 November 2002 14

Parties involved (5) Public interest/opinion: Q often sees a military aerodrome as an underutilised asset Q a local community may regard the military aerodrome as its civil aerodrome Q the community often acquires funds for the development Q military aerodromes are often seen as a partial solution to the capacity problems at larger airports Aerodrome Safety Workshop - Almaty, Kazakhstan - 18 to 22 November 2002 15

Parties involved (6) The civil organisation operating on a military aerodrome: Q may have similar responsibilities to operators of civil aerodromes Q the civil part should be certified and there are regulations to that end Aerodrome Safety Workshop - Almaty, Kazakhstan - 18 to 22 November 2002 16

Parties involved (7) The Government: Q is at least responsible for approval of instrument approach procedures and contents of AIP’s Q is empowered to determine for which type of air services an aerodrome may be used for civil operations Q of some contracting States restrict operations to only aerodromes that conform to Annex 14 regulations Q may have to subsidise the aerodrome investment and operating costs Aerodrome Safety Workshop - Almaty, Kazakhstan - 18 to 22 November 2002 17

Options (1) Q 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 Q 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 November 2002 18

Options (2) Q 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 Q 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 Q 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 November 2002 19

Conclusions (1) Q Currently many military aerodromes do not meet civilian standards Q The military authorities are not normally accountable to CAA Q This situation contravenes some basic principles of the safety regulation of civil aviation Aerodrome Safety Workshop - Almaty, Kazakhstan - 18 to 22 November 2002 20

Conclusions (2) Q The situation could be resolved by requiring certification and accountability to CAA Q 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 Q When comprehensive solutions are not possible use different partial solutions to alleviate pressing problems Aerodrome Safety Workshop - Almaty, Kazakhstan - 18 to 22 November 2002 21

Recommendations It is recommended that States: Q review, and where necessary redefine, their policy on the use of government aerodromes Q determine how best to address safety and liability concerns using the outlined options Q formulate and introduce legislative amendments, if required, to implement that policy Aerodrome Safety Workshop - Almaty, Kazakhstan - 18 to 22 November 2002 22

Aerodrome Safety Workshop - Almaty, Kazakhstan - 18 to 22 November 2002 23