Aviation Rules
The following consolidations of the Civil Aviation Rules are for reference purposes only. To view the official signed amendments, see the History of amendments within each section on CAA website.
View the Civil Aviation Act 1990 on legislation.govt.nz
| Name | Description | LINK |
|---|---|---|
| Part 1 - Definitions and Abbreviations | Part 1 contains the definitions and abbreviations used in the Civil Aviation Rules but note that some Parts include additional definitions and abbreviations. | PART 1 |
| Part 12 - Accidents, Incidents, and Statistics | Part 12 is about the notification, investigation, and reporting of accidents and incidents. It also includes requirements for the reporting of aircraft operating and statistical data. | PART 12 |
| Part 19 - Transition Rules | Part 19 contains rules carried over from civil aviation legislation before the Civil Aviation Act 1990, in place until new rules are made. | PART 19 |
| Part 21 - Certification of Products and Parts | Part 21 prescribes what’s needed for: An aircraft, product, or part to be certificated; For a design change, material, part, process, appliance, technical data, or a critical part, to be approved or authorised; For a document for a product, critical part, or appliance to be exported; For a product or critical part to be identified. | PART 21 |
| Part 39 - Airworthiness Directives | Prescribes rules relating to – operator compliance with an airworthiness directive - the approval of an alternative means of compliance regarding the requirements specified in an airworthiness directive. | PART 39 |
| Part 43 - General Maintenance Rules | Lays out the requirements for the maintenance and release-to-service of aircraft, and components, required by Part 91 to have a Part 21 airworthiness certificate. | PART 43 |
| Part 47 - Aircraft Registration and Marking | Contains rules for aircraft registration and marking. | PART 47 |
| Part 61 - Pilot Licences and Ratings | Prescribes rules relating to the requirements for the issue and holding of pilot licences and ratings, and student pilots. This includes the conditions, privileges, and limitations associated with those licences and ratings and student pilots. | PART 61 |
| Part 63 - Flight Engineer Licences and Ratings | Prescribes the rules relating to the issue of cadet flight engineer licences, flight engineer licences and ratings, including the conditions, privileges and limitations associated with those licences and ratings. | PART 63 |
| Part 65 - Air Traffic Services Personnel Licences and Ratings | Lays out what someone needs to do to hold an air traffic service licence, and ratings; what the licence and ratings allow them to do, and what they won’t allow them to do. | PART 65 |
| Part 66 - Aircraft Maintenance Personnel Licensing | Part 66 lays out the rules applying to people who want to do aircraft maintenance, airworthiness inspections, and certification in New Zealand. | PART 66 |
| Part 67 - Medical Standards and Certification | Part 67 has all the requirements about the issue of medical certificates. | PART 67 |
| Part 71 - Designation and Classification of Airspace | Part 71 provides the general rules applying to the designation and classification of airspace for aviation, and in the public interest. | PART 71 |
| Part 77 - Objects and Activities Affecting Navigable Airspace | Part 77 sets out the rules for mitigating the impact of objects and activities that could pose a hazard in the airspace. | PART 77 |
| Part 91 - General Operating and Flight Rules | Part 91 is important because it’s the basis of general operating and flight rules in New Zealand. | PART 91 |
| Part 92 - Carriage of Dangerous Goods | Part 92 prescribes the rules governing the carriage of dangerous goods by air. | PART 92 |
| Part 95 - Instrument Flight Procedures - Registration | Part 95 lays out the requirements governing the promulgation of instrument flight procedures used by aircraft operating under instrument flight rules (IFR) in the New Zealand FIR and in the Auckland Oceanic FIR. | PART 95 |
| Part 100 - Safety Management | The objective of Part 100 is to introduce new rules to improve New Zealand’s aviation safety performance in a way that embeds an effective safety culture in aviation organisations. | PART 100 |
| Part 101 - Gyrogliders and Parasails, Unmanned Aircraft (including Balloons), Kites, and Rockets Operating Rules | Part 101 is a set of rules underpinning the operation of: unmanned aircraft, including: moored balloons, free balloons, unmanned aerial vehicles (also known as remotely piloted aircraft), control line model aircraft, free flight model aircraft, kites, rockets, gyrogliders, parasails. | PART 101 |
| Part 102 - Unmanned Aircraft Operator Certification | The objective of Part 102 is to lay out the requirements for the certification and operation of unmanned aircraft, outside of Part 101. | PART 102 |
| Part 103 - Microlight Aircraft Operating Rules | Part 103 stipulates the operating rules for microlight aircraft additional to, or exceptions from, Part 91. It also prescribes the requirements for the airworthiness and maintenance of microlight aircraft. | PART 103 |
| Part 105 - Parachuting Operating Rules | Part 105 lays out the rules for parachute operations, equipment, and maintenance. | PART 105 |
| Part 108 - Air Operator Security Programme | Part 108 establishes the security standards operators need to meet if they want to perform regular air transport passenger services using aircraft approved for 10 or more passenger seats, in and from New Zealand. | PART 108 |
| Part 109 - Regulated Air Cargo Agent - Certification | Part 109 prescribes rules for the certification and operation of regulated air cargo agents. | PART 109 |
| Part 115 - Adventure Aviation Certification and Operations | Part 115 stipulates the requirements for the certification and operation of someone conducting an adventure aviation operation. | PART 115 |
| Part 119 - Air Operator Certification | Part 119 stipulates the requirements for operators to become certificated in air transport operations and commercial transport operations. It also lays out what they need to do, to maintain that certification. | PART 119 |
| Part 121 - Air Operations Large Aeroplanes | Part 121 prescribes what requirements the holder of a Part 119 Airline Air Operator Certificate needs to satisfy, to conduct operations using an aircraft that has: a seating configuration of more than 30 seats, excluding any required crew member seat; OR a payload capacity of more than 3410 kg. | PART 121 |
| Part 125 - Air Operations Medium Aeroplanes | Part 125 prescribes what requirements the holder of a Part 119 Airline Air Operator Certificate needs to satisfy, to conduct operations using an aircraft that has: a passenger seating configuration of 10 to 30 seats; OR a payload capacity of 3410 kg or less and a MCTOW of greater than 5700 kg; OR a single engine and is carrying passengers under IFR. | PART 125 |
| Part 129 Foreign Air Transport Operator Certification | Stipulates the requirements a person needs to satisfy to conduct foreign air transport operations involving: more than two take-offs or landings in New Zealand in any consecutive 28 day period; OR more than eight take-offs or landings in New Zealand in any consecutive 365 day period. It doesn’t apply to emergency medivac operations, or those flights carrying medical supplies or body organs. | PART 129 |
| Part 135 - Air Operations Helicopters and Small Aeroplanes | Part 135 lays out the requirements a certificated Part 119 airline air operator, or a certificated general aviation air operator must meet to carry out helicopter and small aeroplane operations, using: an aeroplane with a seating configuration of nine seats or less, excluding any required crew member seat; and a MCTOW of 5700 kg or less, except for a single engine aeroplane used for an air operation carrying a passenger under IFR - a helicopter. | PART 135 |
| Part 137 - Agricultural Aircraft Operations | Part 137 stipulates rules, additional to and exceptions from, Part 91 general operating and flight rules, for pilots carrying out, or being trained to carry out agricultural operations. | PART 137 |
| Part 139 - Aerodromes Certification, Operation and Use | Part 139 provides the requirements relating to: The certification and operation of aerodromes; The security measures applicable to aerodromes; The use of aerodromes by aircraft operators; The provision of UNICOM and AWIB services. | PART 139 |
| Part 140 - Aviation Security Service Organisations Certification | Part 140 lays out the certification requirements organisations have to satisfy to provide aviation security services in New Zealand. It also prescribes what they need to do to maintain their certification. | PART 140 |
| Part 141 - Aviation Training Organisations Certification | Part 141 stipulates the rules governing the certification and operation of organisations conducting aviation training and assessments. | PART 141 |
| Part 145 - Aircraft Maintenance Organisations Certification | Part 145 prescribes rules governing the certification and operation of aircraft maintenance organisations. | PART 145 |
| Part 146 - Aircraft Design Organisations Certification | Part 146 lays out the rules underpinning the certification and operation of an aircraft design organisation, and those for an aircraft design organisation to be allowed to approve a design change. | PART 146 |
| Part 147 - Maintenance Training Organisations Certification | The objective of Part 147 is to provide rules assisting the economic development of the aircraft maintenance training sector. | PART 147 |
| Part 148 - Aircraft Manufacturing Organisations Certification | Part 148 prescribes rules governing the certification and operation of an organisation manufacturing aircraft, products, components, parts, and materials. | PART 148 |
| Part 149 - Aviation Recreation Organisations Certification | Part 149 prescribes rules governing the certification and operation of aviation recreation organisations. | PART 149 |
| Part 157 - Notice of Construction, Alteration, Activation, and Deactivation of Aerodromes | Part 157 is a set of rules that someone has to comply with if they want to construct, alter, activate, or deactivate most types of aerodromes or heliports. | PART 157 |
| Part 171 - Aeronautical Telecommunication Services - Operation and Certification | Part 171 provides the operating and technical standards for aeronautical telecommunication services and facilities. It also sets out the rules governing the certification and operation of organisations providing aeronautical telecommunication services in support of IFR flight or an air traffic service. | PART 171 |
| Part 172 - Air Traffic Service Organisations Certification | Part 172 prescribes the certification and operating requirements for organisations providing an air traffic service in the New Zealand and Auckland Oceanic Flight Information Regions. | PART 172 |
| Part 173 - Instrument Flight Procedure Service Organisation - Certification and Operation | Part 173 prescribes – rules governing the certification and operation of organisations providing services for the design and maintenance of instrument flight procedures; and the technical standards for the design of instrument flight procedures. | PART 173 |
| Part 174 - Aviation Meteorological Service Organisations Certification | Part 174 prescribes – rules governing the certification and operation of organisations providing meteorological services for aviation; and requirements governing the provision of basic weather reports for aviation. | PART 174 |
| Part 175 - Aeronautical Information Service Organisations Certification | Part 175 prescribes – rules governing the certification and operation of organisations providing an aeronautical information service for New Zealand on behalf of the Authority; and the requirements for Aeronautical Information Publication New Zealand, Aeronautical Information Circulars and NOTAMs. | PART 175 |
Advisory Circulars (ACs)
Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Advisory Circulars (ACs) contain information about standards, practices, and procedures that the Director has found to be an acceptable means of compliance with the associated rule.
Consideration will be given to other methods of compliance that may be presented to the Director. When new standards, practices, or procedures are found to be acceptable they will be added to the appropriate AC.
| Document Title | Description | Link |
|---|---|---|
| AC61-3 - Pilot Licenses and Ratings - Private License | This AC describes an acceptable means of compliance with flight time experience and examination syllabus content requirements for the issue of private pilot licenses, to assist applicants in meeting the requirements of Civil Aviation Rule Part 61 Pilot Licenses and Ratings. | AC61-3 PDF |
| AC61-5 - Pilot Licenses and Ratings - Commercial License | This AC describes an acceptable means of compliance to meet requirements for time flight experience and on the examination syllabus content that is acceptable to the Director for meeting the Civil Aviation Rule requirements for the issue of commercial pilot licenses. | AC61-5 PDF |
| AC61-17 - Pilot Licenses and Ratings - Instrument Ratings | This Advisory Circular (AC) describes an acceptable means of compliance with requirements for flight time experience and on the examination syllabus content that is acceptable to the Director for meeting the Civil Aviation Rule requirements for the issue of an Instrument Rating. | AC61-17 PDF |
| AC61-10 - Pilot Licenses and Ratings - Type Ratings (Basic Turbine Knowledge) | This Advisory Circular (AC) describes an acceptable means of compliance with flight time experience and ground training requirements under Civil Aviation Rule Part 61 for the issue of an Aircraft Type Rating. | AC61-10 PDF |
| AC61-7 - Pilot licences and ratings - Airline transport pilot licence | This AC describes an acceptable means of compliance with Civil Aviation Rule Part 61 relating to flight time experience and on the examination syllabus content for the issue of an airline transport pilot licence. | AC61-7 PDF |