AMC and GM to Authority, Organisation and Operations Requirements for Aerodromes — Issue 1, Amendment 4

The objective of this Decision is to maintain a high level of safety and to provide cost-efficient rules in the field of aerodrome operations and specifically in the provision of apron management services (AMS) at aerodromes. Moreover, this Decision aims to support the harmonisation of the EU regulatory framework with the relevant International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) provisions (ICAO Annex 14 Volume I ‘Aerodrome Design and Operations’, 8th Edition). It further aims to maintain a level playing field, and ensure the harmonised implementation of the provisions of Commission Regulation (EU) No 139/2014, as amended by Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/1234 which was adopted following the publication of EASA Opinion No 02/2014 ‘Requirements for apron management services at aerodromes’ on 24 September 2014.

This Decision amends the Acceptable Means of Compliance (AMC) and Guidance Material (GM) to Annex II (Part-ADR.AR), Annex III (Part-ADR.OR) and Annex IV (Part-ADR.OPS) to Commission Regulation (EU) No 139/2014.

The amendments to the AMC and GM cover different areas, such as:

• the submission of declarations by organisations responsible for the provision of AMS and their acceptance by the competent authorities;
• the oversight of such organisations by the competent authorities;
• the management system requirements for organisations responsible for the provision of AMS;
• the AMS operational procedures;
• the apron safety;
• and training οf personnel involved in the provision of AMS.

The amendments are expected to increase safety, improve harmonisation and provide a level playing field and, finally, address two ICAO Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP) findings that were issued to the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

AMC & GM to Part-PERS — Amendment 1

The objective of this Decision is to maintain a high and uniform level of safety by updating the acceptable means of compliance (AMC) and guidance material (GM) for the initial training of air traffic safety electronics personnel (ATSEP). This is achieved by regularly harmonising the training scheme and competence assessment for ATSEP with the evolving EU regulatory framework, state of the art, and recognised best practices in aviation.

This Decision amends the AMC and GM to Subpart A of Annex XIII (Part-PERS) to Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/373. More precisely, it updates the training objectives for ATSEP basic and qualification training syllabi and, therefore, improves the initial training content. It also introduces editorial and structural changes, provides updates of regulatory references, and makes improvements to AMC and GM that are not directly related to training objectives.

The amendments are expected to maintain safety and support providers of air traffic management/air navigation services (ATM/ANS) in developing, updating, and harmonising with EU rules their training syllabi.