In accordance with Article 77 of Regulation (EU) 2018/1139, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (‘the Agency’) is to carry out on behalf of Member States the functions and tasks of the state of design, manufacture or registry related to design certification. In accordance with Article 77(1)(a) in conjunction with Article 62(2)(a) of Regulation (EU) 2018/1139 the Agency is to receive and assess the applications made to it and issues the appropriate certificates. For this purpose the Agency is to establish and notify to the applicant the certification basis, applicable environmental protection requirements and operational suitability data certification basis.

Furthermore, under Regulation (EU) No 748/2012 holders of design organisation approvals are to take certain certification decisions, instead of the Agency, in line with their terms of approval and under the relevant procedures of the design assurance system. Based on the experience with those existing privileges and in order to reduce administrative burden, while considering the risks to aviation safety and environmental protection requirements, holders of design organisation approvals should also be entitled to certify certain major changes to type certificates and issue certain supplemental type certificates. In order to limit risks to aviation safety and having regard to environmental protection requirements, those new privileges should only relate to certification of major changes of a limited novelty and should be granted only to those holders who can correctly exercise those new privileges. The latter should be demonstrated through showing a satisfactory performance in previous similar major changes with the involvement of the Agency.

For reasons of clarity, Annex I to Regulation (EU) No 748/2012 should be amended in such a manner that section A sets out the requirements applicable only to applicants for, and holders of, any certificate issued or to be issued in accordance with that Annex and its section B sets out the requirements applicable only to the competent authorities, including the Agency.

Air operators are to conduct check flights after maintenance to ensure the proper functioning of certain aircraft systems that cannot be verified on the ground. Accidents or serious incidents encountered in the past during those flights reveal that certain maintenance check flights should not be conducted under a certificate of airworthiness (or restricted certificate of airworthiness) but should require a permit to fly. Therefore, flying an aircraft for troubleshooting purposes or to check the functioning of one or more systems, parts or appliances after maintenance should be added to the list of flights for which a permit to fly is required.

Certain inconsistencies of Regulation (EU) No 748/2012 with Regulation (EU) 2018/1139 as regards the content of the type-certification basis and the notification process should be corrected.

Article 9(2) of Regulation (EU) 2018/1139 requires that, as regards noise and emissions, aircraft and their engines, propellers, parts and non-installed equipment are to comply with the environmental protection requirements contained in Amendment 12 of Volume I, in Amendment 9 of Volume II, and in the initial issue of Volume III of Annex 16 to the Chicago Convention, as applicable on 1 January 2018.

Therefore, Annex I to Regulation (EU) No 748/2012 should be adapted to reflect the environmental protection requirements contained in Annex 16 of the Chicago Convention. Furthermore, since Annex 16 of the Chicago Convention provides for exemptions from the environmental protection requirements for specific engines or aircraft, Regulation (EU) No 748/2012 should provide the possibility for production organisations to apply to their competent authority for exemptions from the environmental requirements.

In addition, in order to eliminate technical issues arising from the application of the standards and recommended practices and related guidance for aircraft and engine certification, certain provisions of Regulation (EU) No 748/2012 should be amended in order to improve their clarity.

Regulation (EU) No 748/2012 should therefore be amended accordingly.

It is necessary to provide sufficient time to all parties concerned to adapt to the amended regulatory framework created as a consequence of the measures laid down in this Regulation.