Civil aviation

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Civil airliner - Air India Boeing 747-400

Civil aviation is one of two major categories of flying, representing all non-Military aviation, both private and commercial. Most of the countries in the world are members of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and work together to establish common standards and rules for civil aviation through that agency.

Civil aviation includes two major categories:

Scheduled air transport, including all passenger or cargo flights that operate on a published schedule; and
General aviation, including all other flights, private or commercial

For the public, the most visible part of civil aviation is scheduled air transport, but in fact, the vast majority of the world's flights operate under general aviation.

Regulations and agreements

In 1944, a few states got together in Chicago and decided that airspace was a common heritage of the mankind and it has no borders. As such, the States should collectively work to harmonize and standardize the use the use of airspace for safety, efficiency and regularity of air transport. All the States signatory to the Chicago Convention, now 188, are obliged to implement the Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs)of the Convention.

The Standards & Recommended Practices (SARPs) are in the form of 18 Annexes and related guidance material in the form of Documents. Each contracting State is required to develop its own regulations, or the law of the land, based on the SARPs. If a State does not wish to implement any of the Standards, it is required to file a Difference with ICAO. Subsequently, in the next addition of the relevant Annex, other contracting States are informed accordingly of this Difference. Another contracting State may refuse to permit the aircraft of the state to fly into its airspace or land at its aerodrome.

The contracting States are required to legislate for the creation of a Regulatory Body in the area of Civil Aviation to implement the State Safety Oversight regulations in different areas of Civil Aviation. Civil Aviation Authorities in the contracting States perform this Safety Oversight regulatory function. They are normally headed by a Director General who has the powers to develop the required regulations as the SARPs keep getting revised with the advancement of technology and expansion of civil aviation.

The main regulatory areas of a Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) are

PERSONNEL LICENSING

Personnel Licensing entrusted with the task of regulating the basic training and issuance of Licenses and Certificates.

FLIGHT OPERATIONS

Flight Operations entrusted with the task of carrying our safety Oversight of Commercial Operators which includes regular Public Transport and charter Operations.

AIRWORTHINESS

Airworthiness entrusted with the task of issuing Certificate of Registration and Certificate of airworthiness to all civil aircraft the State. It also carries out the Safety Oversight of the maintenance organizations.

AERODROMES

Aerodromes entrusted with the task of designing and construction of aerodrome facilities.

AIR TRAFFIC SERVICES

Air Traffic Services entrusted to manage the traffic in the airspace of a state.

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