Director of Civil Aviation: Annual Report 2017

STATES OF JERSEY

DIRECTOR OF CIVIL AVIATION: ANNUAL REPORT 2017

Presented to the States on 16th March 2018 by the Minister for External Relations

STATES GREFFE

2018  R.28

Director of Civil Aviation

Annual Report 2017

January 31st, 2018

Executive Summary

Ports of Jersey Ltd on behalf of the Government of Jersey successfully obtained European certification for their air traffic services (ATS), the first time EASA Certification for ATS has been awarded to a Third Country.

At the end of 2017 it was announced that the DCA will be leaving the role early in 2018.

Principal Responsibilities of the DCA

The main role of the DCA is to ensure compliance with international standards set out under the Chicago Convention of 1944 and its associated annexes. The DCA also has accountability for aviation security across the Channel Islands. The Aviation Journal[1] (AJ) now sets out in detail the legal framework under which the DCA operates and readers are directed to that document for further information. For more information on the AJ, see below.

Routine Oversight Activities

A number of routine oversight audits were conducted across the Channel Islands, the majority being carried out by the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on behalf of the DCA. Ports of Jersey Ltd (PoJ) had an aerodrome (including the rescue and firefighting service) audit in October, with the Bailiwick of Guernsey completing a similar audit earlier in the year.

PoJ also completed their air navigation service provider (ANSP) certification audit with the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in February. This was successful, and they received their ANSP certificate in June, and as mentioned earlier, becoming the first non-EU provider to so do. This is a major milestone for PoJ and allows them to provide services across the EU by using the latest technology. EASA will take over fully from the CAA early in 2018.

In all cases the audits confirmed the providers' high level of compliance with the appropriate international standards.

Co-operation with Guernsey

The shared DCA role continues to prove successful and resilient. The pan-island branding that replaced the previous separate identities for each Bailiwick in 2016 has been well received by industry.

As part of the ongoing development of joint working, it was agreed at the end of 2017 that the DCA would relinquish the role of aircraft registrar in Guernsey. This has the aim of bringing both jurisdictions into line and makes clear the responsibility split between the two statutory functions. This is likely to be achieved early in 2018 with the recruitment of a new full-time registrar in Guernsey.

Legislation

The principal change to legislation in 2017 was the introduction of the "Standardized European Rules of the Air" ("SERA") across the Channel Islands. This was achieved on August 17th 2017 in both Bailiwicks and brings our airspace rules into line with both the surrounding French airspace and the wider international rules used by most other jurisdictions. The changes were implemented in Jersey by way of the Air Navigation (Rules of the Air) (Jersey) Regulations 2017 and in Guernsey by the Air Navigation (Bailiwick of Guernsey) (Rules of the Air) (Preliminary) Regulations 2017.

The Aviation Journal

Initially introduced in February of 2016 and fully implemented in November, the Aviation Journal (AJ) is now the "one-stop" instrument where the DCA publishes notices, policies, decisions and guidance on standards and certification. The AJ also contains a joint State Safety Programme and State Safety Plan for both Jersey and Guernsey. The AJ is updated monthly and has been well received by industry. It will evolve over time and continue to develop.

Jersey Aircraft Registry "JAR"

The JAR is led by Jersey's Economic Development, Tourism, Sport and Culture Department (EDTSC). Since launch in 2015 there has been a period of consolidation, with EDTSC considering the form that the JAR will take in future. Operations were temporarily suspended in October after the technical partner ceased trading, but a new partner has now been brought on board and operations reinstated.

Miscellaneous Activities

Both Jersey and Guernsey are again included in the state of registry insurance policy led by the Cayman Islands. This provides liability cover for the Bailiwicks should a locally registered aircraft be lost on the high seas where there is no "state of occurrence". Such co-operation allows us to benefit from the considerable scale of the Caymans' operation and to keep the costs at a manageable level.

Throughout the year the routine work of the DCA continued. On a day-to-day basis requests are made by operators wishing to conduct aerial work, photography and survey flights, all of which require a permit from the DCA. The simplified permit style that was introduced last year continues to work well and a list of current permit holders is now published in the Aviation Journal. The DCA is also involved in the planning for events such as Liberation Day and the annual Guernsey Air Display.

In September the DCA once again met with counterparts from Gibraltar and the Isle of Man in Gatwick. The meeting was hosted by the UK Civil Aviation Authority and Department for Transport and provided a forum to discuss issues of mutual interest and to promote closer working and knowledge sharing. As with the previous year, the event was a success and will now be repeated annually.

Aviation Security

Further changes to security requirements were necessary in 2017, in response to the changing threats in aviation, which resulted in the Aviation Security (Jersey) (Amendment) Direction 2017 revision late on in the year, with a parallel document issued in Guernsey to maintain equivalent measures in the Channel Islands.

The programme of inspections undertaken by the UK Civil Aviation Authority (accompanied by the Deputy DCA) continued in 2017 and the airport continues to meet the aviation security standards required by the EU and UK. In addition to these inspections the airport continues to be subject to regular inspections by the Deputy DCA as part of the Channel Islands Aviation Security Quality Control Programme.

The standardised approach to aviation security by both Jersey and Guernsey continues to be of benefit and the DCA meets with both airports on a regular basis to ensure continuing co-operation.

DCA

Following a successful application, it was announced during December that the DCA would be leaving the post on February 1st, 2018. Following consultation, it has been agreed that the islands will continue with a joint DCA and the recruitment process for a replacement is underway. In the interim, the deputy DCA will undertake the day-to-day functions of the office with support provided as necessary.

As part of the consultation process it has been decided to separate in Guernsey the roles of DCA and aircraft registrar in order to bring the two jurisdictions into line and make clear the division of responsibilities. A new post of aircraft registrar is being created in Guernsey and recruitment will take place concurrent with that for the DCA. It is expected that both posts will be filled by the end of the second quarter of 2018.

Contact

If you have any questions about anything contained in this report or any other aspect of aviation in the Channel Islands, please contact:

Gus Paterson

Director of Civil Aviation gus.paterson@cidca.aero 0845 527 0281 www.cidca.aero