The Air Navigation Order 2016

Public transport aircraft registered in the United Kingdom – aerodrome operating minima

131.—(1) This article applies to public transport aircraft registered in the United Kingdom.

(2) Subject to paragraphs (3) and (4), the operator of an aircraft to which this article applies must establish and include in the operations manual or the police operations manual relating to the aircraft the required information.

(3) In relation to any flight where—

(a) neither an operations manual nor a police operations manual is required by this Order; or

(b) it is not practicable to include the required information in the operations manual or the police operations manual,

the operator must comply with paragraph (4).

(4) If this paragraph applies the operator of the aircraft must—

(a) before the commencement of the flight, cause to be supplied in writing to the pilot in command of the aircraft the required information calculated in accordance with the required data and instructions provided in accordance with paragraph (5) or (6); and

(b) cause a copy of the required information to be retained on the ground for at least three months after the flight.

(5) The operator of an aircraft for which an operations manual or a police operations manual is required by this Order must include in that operations manual the required data and instructions.

(6) The operator of an aircraft for which neither an operations manual nor a police operations manual is required by this Order must—

(a) before the commencement of the flight, cause to be supplied in writing to the pilot in command of the aircraft the required data and instructions; and

(b) cause a copy of the required data and instructions to be retained on the ground for at least three months after the flight.

(7) The specified aerodrome operating minima must not permit a landing or take-off in circumstances where the relevant aerodrome operating minima declared by the competent authority would prohibit it, unless that authority otherwise permits in writing.

(8) In establishing aerodrome operating minima for the purposes of this article the operator of the aircraft must take into account—

(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 aerodrome and its surroundings;

(d) the dimensions of the runways which may be selected for use; and

(e) in relation to 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—

(i) whether or not there are such aids in use at the relevant aerodrome;

(ii) the nature of any such aids that are in use; and

(iii) the procedures for approach, landing and take-off which may be adopted according to the existence or absence of such aids.

(9) The operator must establish in relation to each runway which may be selected for use such aerodrome operating minima as are appropriate to each set of circumstances which may reasonably be expected.

(10) An aircraft to which this article applies must not commence a flight at a time when—

(a) the cloud ceiling or the runway visual range at the aerodrome 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 paragraphs (11) or (12), to land at the aerodrome of intended destination at the estimated time of arrival there and at any destination alternate aerodrome at any time at which according to a reasonable estimate the aircraft would arrive there.

(11) An aircraft to which article 116 applies, when making a descent to an aerodrome, must not descend from a height of 1,000 feet or more above the aerodrome to a height less than 1,000 feet above the aerodrome if the relevant runway visual range at the aerodrome is at the time less than the specified minimum for landing.

(12) An aircraft to which this article applies, when making a descent to an aerodrome, must not—

(a) continue an approach to landing at any aerodrome by flying below the relevant specified decision height; or

(b) descend below the relevant specified minimum descent height,

unless in either case from such height the specified visual reference for landing is established and is maintained.

(13) If, according to the information available, an aircraft would as regards any flight be required to be flown in accordance with the Instrument Flight Rules at the aerodrome of intended landing, the pilot in command of the aircraft must select before take-off a destination alternate aerodrome unless no aerodrome suitable for that purpose is available.

(14) In this article—

“the required information” means detailed information about the aerodrome operating minima appropriate to every aerodrome of intended departure or landing and every destination alternate aerodrome;

“specified” in relation to aerodrome operating minima means such detailed information about aerodrome operating minima as has been specified by the operator in, or are ascertainable by reference to, the operations manual relating to that aircraft, or supplied in writing to the pilot in command of the aircraft by the operator in accordance with paragraph (4); and

“the required data and instructions” means such data and instructions as will enable the pilot in command of the aircraft to calculate the aerodrome operating minima appropriate to aerodromes the use of which cannot reasonably have been foreseen by the operator before the commencement of the flight.