The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) has welcomed the EASA issuing opinion 06/2015 that contains a regulatory framework to allow commercial air transport (CAT) operations using single engine turbine aircraft at night and in IMC. Europe is the last major aviation region in the world that does not permit widespread commercial operations in single engine aircraft.

“The journey to develop the safety regulatory framework for commercial SETs has been long, but this action by EASA is an important milestone in providing the full safety and economic utility of single engine operations in Europe,” says GAMA president and CEO Pete Bunce. “The staff and leadership of EASA is to be commended for having undertaken a detailed and systematic review of the commercial regulations to create a set of regulatory requirements that should expand the utility of general aviation across the European continent.”

Standards for single engine commercial aircraft ops were set by ICAO in 2005. Single engines are today used for commercial passenger, aeromedical and cargo operations in Australia, Canada, the US and most other jurisdictions, but not in Europe. The next step in the regulatory process for single engine commercial operations to be permitted in Europe is the review and approval of EASA's proposal by the EASA committee, comprising European Commission and EU member states.

“We are confident that the committee responsible for signing off on all draft regulations will take due account of the significant time and expertise dedicated to crafting EASA's current proposal, and adopt the regulation by mid-2016,” continues Bunce. “There is significant interest from operators across Europe, particularly those wishing to operate in the nation-states on the periphery of the EU, where only single engine services are economically viable.”