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Air transport has been swept up in a dynamic wave of commercialisation, globalisation and technological advancements which must be addressed to maintain safety standards.
The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) continues to proactively co-ordinate the development of new standards and procedures to meet the challenges of the ever-evolving air transport industry.
In this regard, the ICAO developed an aviation safety oversight system to ensure states’ effective implementation of the safety-related standards and recommended practices (SARPs) and associated procedures contained in the annexes to the Convention on International Civil Aviation (CICA) and other related ICAO documents.
Accordingly, ICAO prescribed eight critical elements for a state aviation safety oversight system.
Critical element one: the “primary aviation legislation,” which is a comprehensive aviation law that is compliant with the requirements contained in the CICA and consistent with the complexity of the state’s aviation activity.
The Civil Aviation Act, Chapter 49:03, is the primary aviation law in TT.
Critical element two: a set of “specific operating regulations” to address national requirements emanating from the primary aviation legislation and provide standardised operational procedures, equipment and infrastructures in conformance with the SARPs contained in the annexes to the CICA. The term “regulations” is generically used to include laws, instructions, rules, edicts, directives, requirements, policies and orders.
The TT Civil Aviation Regulations, consisting of 19 parts, are made under Section 33 of the Civil Aviation Act.
Critical element three: the “state’s civil aviation system and its safety oversight functions,” which require the establishment of a civil aviation authority headed by a CEO, supported by the appropriate and adequate technical and non-technical staff and provided with adequate financial resources. The state authority must have clearly defined safety regulatory functions, objectives and safety policies.
The TT Civil Aviation Authority (TTCAA) was established by the Civil Aviation Act. It is headed by a CEO known as the director general of civil aviation.
Critical element four: “the recruitment of trained and qualified technical personnel” to perform safety oversight functions and the provision of appropriate training to maintain and enhance their competencies at the desired level. The training should include initial and recurrent training.
The TTCAA recruits trained and qualified people designated as “inspectors” to perform safety oversight functions. They receive continuous training on new regulatory concepts.
Critical element five: “the provision of technical guidance” to the inspectors for the effective performance their safety oversight functions in accordance with established requirements in a standardised manner.
The TTCAA publishes detailed guidance for its inspectors to perform their certification
