Jersey Director of Civil Aviation: Annual Report for 2010.

STATES OF JERSEY

JERSEY DIRECTOR OF CIVIL AVIATION: ANNUAL REPORT FOR 2010

Presented to the States on 15th March 2011 by the Chief Minister

STATES GREFFE

2011   Price code: B  R.32

REPORT Foreword by the Director of Civil Aviation

This report is delivered in accordance with Article 9 of the Civil Aviation (Jersey) Law 2008.

My report attempts to provide a feel for what is involved in the work of the DCA. We can be grateful that most of my activities are "routine" in terms of assuring aviation safety for all users of the airport and airspace in Jersey. Safety is top of the list for everyone charged with the responsibility of providing aviation services here. Provided we all do our jobs well and properly, we can be satisfied that we have contributed our best to achieving the highest standards of safety for all who fly to and from our airport. That is the "routine" that we have established and wish to maintain.

In addition, there are a number of events and projects which add interest to the work of the DCA. These include –

• Co-operation with Guernsey on the DCA project brings benefits of efficiency and  added  value  that  would  be  otherwise  lost  if  the  role  was  handled separately.
• Working  with  all  those  involved  in  delivering  Jersey's  new  Air  Traffic Control Centre into service in December and seeing the project mature during the  year  to  the  point  where  it  was  ready  for  approval  was  particularly satisfying.
• The aircraft registry project, whilst demanding of my time and effort, holds real potential for economic and reputational benefits for the Channel Islands. We need to take a number of steps before being sure that this can be delivered on a truly joint basis with Guernsey, but the potential is there. It is a privilege to be involved in such work.
• The volcanic ash crisis of April/May 2010 was no fun for anyone who was caught  up  in  it,  but  the  challenge  of  finding  acceptable  solutions  to  the problems proved to be an exciting and interesting time.
• Finally, the recent commencement of the airspace re-design project holds the prospect of creating improvements to the airspace that should deliver greater efficiency and flexibility to all operators whether commercial or private.

Director of Civil Aviation for Jersey March 2011

1. Principal Activities

The focus of the Director of Civil Aviation's activities remains the carrying-out of his functions under Article 10 of the Civil Aviation (Jersey) Law 2008.

10  Functions of the Director

1. It is the responsibility of the Director of Civil Aviation –
   1. to ensure the safety of aerodromes and air traffic;
   2. to licence aerodromes;
   3. to approve air traffic controllers.
2. It is also the responsibility of the Director to regulate, from Jersey –

1. the operation of the Channel Islands Control Zone and the safety of air traffic in that zone; and
2. the  operation  of  meteorological  services  for  the  purposes  of international  air  navigation  in Jersey  and  the  Channel  Islands Control Zone.

3. The Director shall also tender advice to the Minister on –

1. the safety of civil aviation in Jersey and in the Channel Islands Control Zone;
2. international  relations  in  respect  of  civil  aviation  (including relations with international agencies);
3. the Chicago Convention;
4. the Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the United  Kingdom  and  the  Government  of  the  French  Republic signed on 16th February 2000 (relating to the application of the Eurocontrol Route Charges Joint System in the Channel Islands Control Zone); and
5. other  international  agreements  and  international  obligations  in respect of civil aviation that are binding on Jersey.

4. The Director must discharge his or her functions in the manner that the Director thinks will best achieve compliance with –

1. the Chicago Convention; and
2. other international agreements and obligations in respect of civil aviation that are binding on Jersey.

5. The  Director,  in discharging  the  functions  of  the  office  of  Director, shall –

1. have due regard to the policy of the Council of Ministers in respect of civil aviation; and
2. carry into effect any direction as to that policy that is given to the Director by the Minister in writing.

6. The States may amend this Article by Regulations.

2. ICAO Compliance

The DCA is obliged under the Civil Aviation (Jersey) Law 2008 to discharge his functions in the manner that he thinks will best achieve compliance with the Chicago Convention of 1944 and its Annexes. This is commonly referred to as being "ICAO compliant". To that end the DCA has published his policy in determining how an applicant  should  demonstrate  compliance  with  the  ICAO  Standards  and Recommended Practices (SARPS). Meeting the requirements of the Civil Aviation Publications (CAPs) produced by the UK Civil Aviation Authority will generally be deemed as an acceptable means of compliance with the relevant ICAO SARPS.

3. Co-operation with Guernsey

The arrangement with Guernsey, whereby the role of the DCA is shared between the Bailiwicks, continues to work extremely well to the benefit of both Islands and is expected to endure during the current post-holder's appointment.

4. Aircraft Registry for the Channel Islands

The joint working arrangement between Guernsey and Jersey has been a key driver in a new area of activity involving the DCA; that of conducting a feasibility study into the establishment of an aircraft registry for the Channel Islands. When the idea of investigating the concept was formally proposed, it was natural to consider it in terms of a joint arrangement with Guernsey since the regulatory functions of an aircraft registry would be performed by the DCA. Although a certain amount of background work had been done in the previous 18 months, the study commenced in earnest in December 2010 with the appointment of an aviation consultancy to assist and support the DCA in formulating a proposal. This followed a period during September to November when a joint procurement process took place to find a suitable partner with whom the task would be conducted. An initial proposal is due to be delivered by the end of March 2011 in time for it to go forward under the Guernsey States' New Service Development Bid process, which will run from April until October 2011. Jersey will also consider the consultant's report before deciding whether or not to proceed further with the concept. The current plan is to complete a further phase of preparatory work during 2012 prior to launching the aircraft registry sometime in the following year, subject to a decision to proceed being made in 2011.

5. Miscellaneous activities

The DCA continued a co-ordinating role initiated in 2009 in an attempt to find a solution for a looming difficulty for General Aviation pilots regarding the submission of their flight plans in a simple and efficient way. This followed the announcement that the Airport would be unable to fulfil the task once the New Air Traffic Control Centre became operational. A likely candidate as a solution was UK's NATS system, called AFPEx, and discussions revolved around making it available to Channel Islands users. Unfortunately, despite a number of meetings at which representatives from NATS, general aviation users and the airport attended, we were unable to come to a final agreement. The key sticking point turned out to be the price at which the system would be made available to Channel Islands users. Other online systems are available, some free of charge to the user; also, the Airport and Jersey Aero Club have been able to retain a certain level of service in this regard whilst a permanent solution is sought.

The Jersey International Air Display (JIAD) 2010 was held on 9th September 2010. The event was considered a significant success and included for the first time ever a public display by the "Jet Man", Yves Rossy.

6. Volcanic Ash Crisis

During April and May of 2010 much of global aviation was severely affected by the Icelandic volcanic ash crisis. Whilst we suffered some disruption to flights in the Bailiwick, the main problem resulted from the temporary closure of airspace in France and the UK to commercial flights, at times for periods lasting 2 – 3 days. In the Channel Islands we managed to re-instate inter-island flights and private flying very quickly after the initial blanket closure of all the airspace affected by the ash cloud. In concert with the other major aviation states, we now have in place clear guidelines for use by operators and by air traffic services in the event of future volcanic activity in the region. These guidelines cannot guarantee that aviation activities will continue to operate unabated during a volcanic incident. However, they will ensure that a clear and sensible policy will be implemented to enable as much flying as possible to be conducted provided it is safe to do so.

7. DCA – Prime Functions

1. Safety of Aerodromes and Air Traffic

Aerodrome – There was no planned aerodrome audit during 2010. The next visit based on a 15 month rolling cycle of audits will take place in January 2011. The main concern from a safety compliance perspective remains the airport's plan for the removal of or mitigation of obstacles on and in the vicinity of the aerodrome that encroach into the "obstacle-free surfaces". As reported in 2009, Jersey aerodrome suffers from a number of such obstacles. The new Air traffic Control Centre came into operation during December 2010 and has brought discussions on the future of the "1937 Building" to the fore. The 1937 Building is the original airport building that houses the current Arrivals Hall and the old Air Traffic Control Approach /Radar Rooms and the Visual Control Room. It is hoped that progress will be made during 2011 to remove the top floors of the building, initially. Thereafter, plans should be put in  place  to  remove  the  remainder  of  the  building,  thus  enabling  2 major obstacle non-compliances to be dealt with.

Air  Traffic –  Jersey  Airport's  new  Air  Traffic  Control  Centre  became operational during December 2010. This followed a significant amount of work during the year by all concerned: airport staff, contractors and the DCA in finalising the approvals. This has been a major project for the airport and counts as a significant achievement for them. It involved the introduction of new  technology  in  the  Approach  Control  and  Radar  management  process which had not previously been used to this extent elsewhere.

The issue of Jersey Airport's Certificate as an Air Navigation Service Provider (ANSP) under the Single European Skies legislation has suffered some delay. This does not in any way indicate non-compliance on the part of Jersey, but is attributable  fully  to  the  complex  oversight  arrangements  in  place.  They involve both the French and UK aviation safety authorities: the French being the National Safety Authority for the Jersey airspace responsible for issuing

the ANSP certificate; whilst the UK CAA is tasked with carrying out the comprehensive safety review of the Jersey facilities. It is hoped that the ANSP Certificate shall be issued during 2011 prior to the next comprehensive review scheduled to be conducted during the summer of 2011.

2. Licensing of Aerodromes

The DCA renewed the licence to Jersey Airport effective from 1st January 2010, this time on an enduring basis provided the aerodrome continues to demonstrate compliance with the ICAO Annex 14 standards.

3. Approval of Air Traffic Controllers

All of the Air Traffic Controllers at Jersey Airport hold licences issued by the UK CAA. Under what is normal practice for smaller jurisdictions, the DCA has issued each controller with a personal licence validation in accordance with ICAO Annex 1 to recognise the licences for use in Jersey.

4. Safety Regulation of the Channel Islands Control Zone (CICZ)

Towards the end of 2010 the Airport commenced a new project named the Jersey Airport Airspace Re-design Project. A contract has been placed to re- design  the  Channel  Islands  Control  Zone  (CICZ)  airspace  and  all  of  the associated Instrument Approach and Departure procedures. The scope also extends to the airspace and procedures at Guernsey and Alderney airports. The project is expected to take approximately 2 years to complete.

5. Aviation Meteorological Services

Aviation meteorological services continue to be provided to the airport by the Jersey Meteorological Office, which has its offices located at the airport, under the terms of a Service Level Agreement between the Airport and the Planning and Environment Department.