Review of the need to amend the Aviation Act continued

The Ministry of Transport and Communications will examine the need to amend the Aviation Act. The possible need for review emerged when preparations were made for the implementation of the EU Regulation on common rules in the field of civil aviation, the so-called EASA Regulation. The possible need for amending national amendments and specifications will also be examined. The amendments would mainly be technical in nature and they would apply to a limited number of operators in the aviation sector.

Legislative amendments supplementing the EASA Regulation were adopted by Parliament in June 2020.

The review will now focus on technical provisions on examining the airworthiness of aircraft, on delegating the powers in terms of aerodrome grants to the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency, on the need for an air operator certificate for aircraft with historical relevance, on the relationship between an aviation offence and the penal provisions of the Criminal Code, and on intervening in the flight path of unmanned aircraft in the vicinity of airports.

In addition, the project will continue to assess the national regulatory needs of unmanned aviation and support the development and safe introduction of new technologies and digital practices.

In the course of the work and in preparing the amendments, the parties to be affected by the legislative amendments will be consulted. The aim is to submit the amendment proposals to Parliament in summer 2021.

Background

The drafting of the amendments adopted in June also revealed legislative development needs other than those related to the EASA Regulation. In its report on the proposal, the Transport and Communications Committee stated that it considered it important that the development needs of aviation regulation presented at the Committee reading be assessed in the future in connection with the legislative development process.

Provisions on aviation safety and security are largely harmonised by regulations directly applicable in the EU, which are based on international safety recommendations.

Inquiries

Veikko Vauhkonen, Senior Officer, tel. +358 50 477 7176

Twitter @VVauhk