- Laws of Fiji

Last Updated: 15 January 2013

[CIA 13,065] Aerodrome operating minima — Aircraft registered in Fiji operated by an operator domiciled in Fiji37

(1) The operator of every aircraft to which regulation 43 applies shall establish and include in the operations manual relating to the aircraft, particulars of airport operating minima appropriate to every airport of intended departure or landing and every alternate airport, provided that, in relation to any flight wherein it is not practicable to include such information in the operations manual, the operator of the said aircraft shall, prior to the commencement of the flight, cause to be furnished, in writing, to the pilot in command of the aircraft particulars of the airport operating minima appropriate to every airport of intended departure or landing and every alternate airport and calculated in accordance with the specified method; and the operator shall cause a copy of the said particulars to be retained for a minimum period of 3 months.

(2) The operator of every such aircraft shall include in the operations manual relating to that aircraft such data and instructions as will enable the pilot in command of the aircraft to calculate airport operating minima appropriate to airports the use of which could not reasonably have been foreseen by the operator prior to the commencement of the flight.

(3) The airport operating minima specified shall not, in respect of any airport, be less favourable than any declared in respect of that airport by the competent authority unless that authority otherwise permits in writing.

(4) In establishing airport operating minima for the purposes of this regulation the operator of the aircraft shall take into account the following matters—

(a)the type and performance and handling characteristics of the aircraft and any relevant conditions in its certificate of airworthiness;
(b)the composition of its crew;
(c)the physical characteristics of the relevant airport and its surroundings;
(d)the dimensions of the runways which may be selected for use; and
(e)whether or not there are in use at the relevant airport any aids, visual or otherwise, to assist aircraft in approach, landing or take-off, being aids which the crew of the aircraft are trained and equipped to use, the nature of any such aids that are in use, and the procedures for approach, landing and take-off which may be adopted according to the existence or absence of such aids,
and shall establish, in relation to each runway which may be selected for use, airport operating minima appropriate to each set of circumstances which can reasonably be expected.

(5) No aircraft to which regulation 43 applies shall commence a flight at a time when—

(a)the cloud ceiling or the visibility at the airport of departure is less than the relevant minimum specified for take-off; or
(b)according to the information available to the pilot in command of the aircraft, it would not be able, without contravening subregulation (6), to commence or continue an approach to landing at the airport of intended destination at the estimated time of arrival there and at any alternate airport at the time at which according to a reasonable estimate the aircraft would arrive there.

(6) No aircraft to which regulation 43 applies shall—

(a)commence or continue an approach to landing at any airport if the visibility at that airport is at the time less than the specified minimum for landing, except that an approach to landing may be continued if, at the time the pilot in command of the aircraft receives information that the visibility is less than the specified minimum for landing—
- (i)the aircraft is below the specified decision height;
- (ii)the specified visual reference has been established at the decision height and is maintained; and
- (iii)the approach to landing has, at least until the specified visual reference has been established, been made by use of an instrument landing system notified for the purpose of these Regulations; or
(b)continue approach to landing at any airport by flying below the specified decision height unless from that height the specified visual reference for landing is established and is maintained.

(7) If, according to the information available, an aircraft would as regards any flight, be required by the Rules of the Air to be flown in accordance with the Instrument Flight Rules at the airport of intended landing, the pilot in command of the aircraft shall select prior to take-off an alternate airport unless he or she is notified by the Authority that an alternate airport is not required.

[subreg (7) subst LN 82 of 2009 reg 18, effective 6 February 2010]