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Civil aviation authority facts for kids

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A civil aviation authority (CAA) is a national or supranational statutory authority that oversees the regulation of civil aviation, including the maintenance of an aircraft register.

Role

Due to the inherent dangers in the use of flight vehicles, national aviation authorities typically regulate the following critical aspects of aircraft airworthiness and their operation:

  • design of aircraft, engines, airborne equipment and ground-based equipment affecting flight safety
  • conditions of manufacture and testing of aircraft and equipment
  • maintenance of aircraft and equipment
  • operation of aircraft and equipment
  • licensing of pilots, air traffic controllers, flight dispatchers and maintenance engineers
  • licensing of airports and navigational aids
  • standards for air traffic control.

Depending on the legal system of the jurisdiction, a CAA will derive its powers from an act of parliament (such as the Civil or Federal Aviation Act), and is then empowered to make regulations within the bounds of the act. This allows technical aspects of airworthiness to be dealt with by subject matter experts and not politicians.

A CAA may also be involved in the investigation of aircraft accidents, although in many cases this is left to a separate body (such as the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) in Australia or the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in the United States), to allow independent review of regulatory oversight.

A CAA will regulate the control of air traffic but a separate agency will generally carry out air traffic control functions.

In some countries a CAA may build and operate airports, including non-airside operations such as passenger terminals; the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines being among such authorities. In other countries, private companies or local government authorities may own and operate individual airports.

Civil aviation authorities do not regulate military aviation. Military aviation will typically have a completely separate personnel licensing system. In the United Kingdom, military aviation is regulated by the Military Aviation Authority.

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) refers to civil aviation authorities as National Airworthiness Authorities (NAA), particularly when referring to an authority in its capacity as an airworthiness authority; or sometimes as National Aviation Authorities (also NAA). EASA refers to them as National Aviation Authorities.

History

The independent development of CAAs resulted in differing regulations from country to country. This required aircraft manufacturers in the past to develop different models for specific national requirements (such as the BAe Jetstream 31), and impeded airline travel into foreign jurisdictions. The Convention on International Civil Aviation (Chicago Convention) was signed in 1944 and addressed these issues. This then led to the establishment by the United Nations of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in 1947 which now oversees member states, and works to implement regulatory changes to ensure that best practice regulations are adopted.

The Joint Aviation Authorities (JAA) was founded in 1970, for cooperation between European CAAs. It published the Joint Aviation Requirements (JAR), to create minimum standards across agencies. It was replaced by the European Aviation Safety Agency and disbanded in 2009.

The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) was created in 2003 as an agency of the European Union, replacing the Joint Aviation Authorities. It standardises aviation regulations across the European Union and the European Free Trade Association. Member states continue to have their own agencies, which implement EASA rules. EASA has working relationships with non-member states including Armenia, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. It was renamed the European Union Aviation Safety Agency in 2018.

List of civil aviation authorities

This is a list of national and supra-national civil aviation authorities.

Country Authority name in English Authority name in local language(s)

(If the local language is not English)

Website
 United Nations International Civil Aviation Organization
  • Organisation de l'aviation civile internationale
  • Organización de Aviación Civil Internacional
  • Международная организация гражданской авиации
  • 国际民用航空组织
www.icao.int
 Afghanistan Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation د افغانستان اسلامی جمهوریت، د ترانسپورت او ملکي هوايي چلند وزارت
 Albania Albanian Civil Aviation Authority Autoriteti i Aviacionit Civil të Shqipërisë
 Algeria Directorate of Civil Aviation and Meteorology Établissement de Gestion de Services Aéroportuaires d'Alger (EGSA), Établissement Nationale de la Navigation Aérienne (ENNA)
 Angola National Civil Aviation Authority of Angola Autoridade Nacional da Aviação Civil (ANAC)
 Argentina National Civil Aviation Administration Administración Nacional de Aviación Civil
 Armenia General Department of Civil Aviation of Armenia Քաղաքացիական Ավիացիայի Գլխավոր Վարչություն
 Aruba Department of Civil Aviation of Aruba
 Australia Civil Aviation Safety Authority
 Austria Austro Control Österreichische Gesellschaft für Zivilluftfahrt www.austrocontrol.at
 Azerbaijan State Civil Aviation Agency of Azerbaijan Azərbaycan Respublikasının Dövlət Mülki Aviasiya Agentliyi
 Bahamas Department of Civil Aviation of Bahamas www.bahamas.gov.bs
 Bahrain Department of Civil Aviation Affairs شئون الطيران المدني
 Bangladesh Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh বেসামরিক বিমান চলাচল কর্তৃপক্ষ
 Barbados Civil Aviation Department of Barbados
 Belarus Aviation Department of Belarus Департамент по авиации
 Belgium Federal Public Service Mobility and Transport Service public fédéral Mobilité et Transports
Federale overheidsdienst Mobiliteit en Vervoer
- French
- Dutch
 Benin National Civil Aviation Agency Agence Nationale de l'Aviation Civile du Bénin
 Bermuda Bermuda Civil Aviation Authority
 Bhutan Bhutan Civil Aviation Authority
 Bolivia Directorate General of Civil Aeronautics Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil
 Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina Directorate of Civil Aviation Bosna i Hercegovina Direkcija za civilno zrakoplovstvo
 Botswana Civil Aviation Authority of Botswana
 Brazil National Civil Aviation Agency of Brazil Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil (ANAC)
 Brunei Department of Civil Aviation of Brunei Jabatan Penerbangan Awam
 Bulgaria Civil Aviation Administration (Bulgaria) Главна дирекция "Гражданска въздухоплавателна администрация
 Cambodia Secretariat of State for Civil Aviation រដ្ឋលេខាធិការដ្ឋានអាកាសចរស៊ីវិល
 Cameroon Cameroon Civil Aviation Authority
 Canada Transport Canada Civil Aviation Directorate (Transport Canada Civil Aviation) Transports Canada Direction générale de l'aviation civile - English
- French
 Cayman Islands Civil Aviation Authority of the Cayman Islands
 Chile Directorate General of Civil Aviation Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil
 China Civil Aviation Administration of China 中国民用航空局
Clipperton Island Clipperton Department of Civil Aviation DCA Clipperton
 Colombia Special Administrative Unit of Civil Aeronautics Unidad Administrativa Especial de Aeronáutica Civil
 Cook Islands Pacific Aviation Safety Office
 Costa Rica Directorate General of Civil Aviation of Costa Rica Dirección General de Aviación Civil de Costa Rica
 Croatia Croatian Civil Aviation Agency Hrvatska agencija za civilno zrakoplovstvo
 Cuba Institute of Civil Aeronautics of Cuba Instituto de Aeronáutica Civil de Cuba www.cubagob.cu
 Cyprus Department of Civil Aviation of Cyprus Τμήμα Πολιτικής Αεροπορίας
 Czech Republic Civil Aviation Authority of the Czech Republic Úřad pro civilní letectví Česká republika
 Denmark Danish Transport Authority Trafikstyrelsen
 Dominican Republic Dominican Institute of Civil Aviation Instituto Dominicano de Aviación Civil
 Ecuador Directorate General of Civil Aviation of Ecuador Dirección General de Aviación Civil
 Egypt Ministry of Civil Aviation of Egypt وزارة الطيران المدني
 El Salvador Civil Aviation Authority of El Salvador Autoridad de Aviación Civil
 Estonia Estonian Civil Aviation Administration Lennuamet
 Swaziland Eswatini Civil Aviation Authority
 Ethiopia Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority የኢትዮጵያ ሲቪል ኤቪዬሽን ባለሥልጣን
 European Union European Aviation Safety Agency
 Fiji Civil Aviation Authority of Fiji
 Finland Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Liikenne- ja viestintävirasto
Transport- och kommunikationsverket
 France Directorate General for Civil Aviation Direction Générale de l'Aviation Civile
 Gabon National Civil Aviation Agency Agence Nationale de l'Aviation Civile (ANAC)
 Gambia Gambia Civil Aviation Authority
 Georgia Georgian Civil Aviation Administration საქართველოს სამოქალაქო ავიაციის სააგენტო
 Germany Federal Aviation Office Luftfahrt-Bundesamt (LBA)
 Ghana Ghana Civil Aviation Authority
 Greece Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority Υπηρεσία Πολιτικής Αεροπορίας (ΥΠΑ)
 Guatemala Directorate General of Civil Aviation of Guatemala Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil
 Guernsey and  Jersey Office of the Director of Civil Aviation
 Guyana Guyana Civil Aviation Authority
 Hong Kong Civil Aviation Department 民航處
 Iceland Icelandic Transport Authority Samgöngustofa
 India Directorate General of Civil Aviation
 Indonesia Directorate General of Civil Aviation Direktorat Jenderal Perhubungan Udara
 Iran Iran Civil Aviation Organization سازمان هواپیمایی كشوری [fa]
 Iraq Iraq Civil Aviation Authority سلطة الطيران المدني العراقي
 Ireland Irish Aviation Authority Údarás Eitlíochta na hÉireann
 Israel Civil Aviation Authority רשות התעופה האזרחית
 Isle of Man Isle of Man Aircraft Registry
 Italy National Agency for Civil Aviation Ente nazionale per l'aviazione civile https://www.enac.gov.it/Home/
 Jamaica Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority
 Japan Japan Civil Aviation Bureau 航空局
 Jordan Civil Aviation Regulatory Commission of Jordan
 Kazakhstan Civil Aviation Committee Азаматтық авиация комитеті
 Kenya Kenya Civil Aviation Authority
 North Korea Civil Aviation Administration of Korea 조선민항
 South Korea Korea Office of Civil Aviation 대한민국 국토해양부 항공정책실
 Kiribati Pacific Aviation Safety Office
 Kosovo Civil Aviation Authority of Kosovo Autoriteti i Aviacionit Civil të Kosovës
 Kuwait Directorate General of Civil Aviation الإدارة العامة للطيران المدني
 Kyrgyzstan Civil Aviation Agency of Kyrgyz Republic Агентство Гражданской Авиации Кыргызской Республики
 Laos Department of Civil Aviation of Laos ກົມການບິນພົນລະເຮືອນແຫ່ງ ສປປ ລາວ
 Latvia Civil Aviation Agency of Latvia Civilās aviācijas aģentūra
 Lebanon Lebanese Civil Aviation Authority مصلحة الطيران المدني اللبناني
 Lesotho Department of Civil Aviation of Lesotho
 Libya Libyan Civil Aviation Authority مصلحة الطيران المدني www.lycaa.org
 Liechtenstein Office of Civil Aviation of Liechtenstein
 Lithuania Transport Competence Agency Transporto Kompetencijų Agentūra
 Luxembourg Directorate of Civil Aviation of Luxembourg Direction de l'Aviation Civile
 Macau Civil Aviation Authority 民航局
Autoridade de Aviação Civil
 Malaysia Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia Pihak Berkuasa Penerbangan Awam Malaysia
 Malawi Department of Civil Aviation of Malawi
 Maldives Civil Aviation Department of the Maldives
 Malta Civil Aviation Directorate of Malta Direttorat tal-Avjazzjoni Ċivili
 Marshall Islands Directorate of Civil Aviation of the Marshall Islands
 Mauritius Department of Civil Aviation of Mauritius
Flag of Mexico.svg Mexico Federal Civil Aviation Agency Agencia Federal de Aviación Civil
Flag of Moldova.svg Moldova Civil Aviation Administration of Moldova Autoritatea Aeronautică Civilă a Republicii Moldova
 Mongolia Civil Aviation Authority of Mongolia Иргэний Нисэхийн Ерөнхий Газар
 Monaco Monaco Civil Aviation Authority Service de l'Aviation Civile du Principauté de Monaco
 Montenegro Civil Aviation Agency of Montenegro Agencija za civilno vazduhoplovstvo
 Morocco Directorate General of Civil Aviation Direction Générale de l'Aviation Civile https://www.aviationcivile.gov.ma/
 Mozambique Civil Aviation Institute of Mozambique Instituto de Aviação Civil de Moçambique
 Myanmar Department of Civil Aviation ေလေၾကာင္းပို႔ေဆာင္ေရးၫႊန္ၾကားမႈဦးစီးဌာန
 Namibia Namibia Civil Aviation Authority
 Nauru Pacific Aviation Safety Office
 Nepal Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal नेपाल नागरिक उड्डयन प्राधिकरण
 Netherlands Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate Inspectie Leefomgeving en Transport (ILT)
 New Zealand Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand
 Nicaragua Nicaraguan Institute of Civil Aviation Instituto Nicaragüense de Aeronáutica Civil
 Nigeria Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority
 Niue Pacific Aviation Safety Office
 Macedonia Civil Aviation Agency of North Macedonia Агенција за цивилно воздухопловство
 Norway Civil Aviation Authority of Norway Luftfartstilsynet
 Oman Civil Aviation Authority- Sultanate of Oman هیئه الطیران المدنی-سلطنة عمان
 Pakistan Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority مقتدرۂ شہری طیران پاکستان
 Panama Civil Aviation Authority of Panama Autoridad Aeronáutica Civil
 Papua New Guinea Civil Aviation Authority of Papua New Guinea
Pacific Aviation Safety Office

 Paraguay Directorate National of Civil Aeronautics Dirección Nacional de Aeronáutica Civil
 Peru Directorate General of Civil Aviation of Peru Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil
 Philippines Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines Pangasiwaan sa Abyasyong Sibil ng Pilipinas
 Poland Civil Aviation Authority Urząd Lotnictwa Cywilnego www.ulc.gov.pl
 Portugal National Authority of Civil Aviation of Portugal Autoridade Nacional de Aviação Civil (ANAC)
 Qatar Civil Aviation Authority of Qatar للهيئة العامة للطيران المدني
 Romania Romanian Civil Aeronautical Authority Autoritatea Aeronautică Civilă Română
 Russia Federal Air Transport Agency Федеральное агентство воздушного транспорта
 Rwanda Rwanda Civil Aviation Authority
 Samoa Pacific Aviation Safety Office
 San Marino San Marino Civil Aviation and Maritime Authority Autorità per l'Aviazione Civile e la Navigazione Marittima
 Saudi Arabia General Authority of Civil Aviation للهيئة العامة للطيران المدني www.gaca.gov.sa
 Senegal National Civil Aviation Agency of Senegal Agence Nationale de l'Aviation Civile du Sénégal
 Serbia Civil Aviation Directorate Директорат Цивилног Ваздухопловства
 Seychelles Seychelles Civil Aviation Authority
 Singapore Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore Penguasa Penerbangan Awam Singapura
 Slovakia Civil Aviation Authority of the Slovak Republic Letecký úrad Slovenskej republiky
 Slovenia Civil Aviation Authority of the Slovenian Republic Javna agencija za civilno letalstvo Republike Slovenije
 Solomon Islands Pacific Aviation Safety Office
 Somalia Somali Civil Aviation and Meteorology Authority Hay'adda Duulista Rayidka & Saadaasha Hawada Soomaaliyeed
 South Africa South African Civil Aviation Authority
 Spain Spanish Aviation Safety and Security Agency Agencia Estatal de Seguridad Aérea (AESA)
 Sri Lanka Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka ශ්‌රී ලංකා සිවිල් ගුවන් සේවා අධිකාරිය
 Sudan Civil Aviation Authority of Sudan
 Suriname Civil Aviation Department of Suriname
 Sweden Swedish Transport Agency Transportstyrelsen
 Switzerland Federal Office for Civil Aviation
  • Office fédéral de l'aviation civile (OFAC)
  • Bundesamt für Zivilluftfahrt (BAZL)
  • Ufficio federale dell'aviazione civile (UFAC)
 Syria Syrian Civil Aviation Authority المؤسسة العامة للطيران المدني
 Taiwan Civil Aeronautics Administration 交通部民用航空局
 Tanzania Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority Mamlaka ya Usafiri wa Anga Tanzania
 Thailand The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand สำนักงานการบินพลเรือนแห่งประเทศไทย
 Timor-Leste Civil Aviation Division of Timor-Leste
 Togo Civil Aviation Agency of Togo Agence Nationale de l'Aviation Civile du Togo (ANAC-TOGO) www.anac-togo.tg
 Tonga Pacific Aviation Safety Office
 Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago Civil Aviation Authority
 Tunisia Office of Civil Aviation and Airports Office de l'aviation civile et des aéroports
 Turkey Directorate General of Civil Aviation of Turkey Sivil Havacılık Genel Müdürlüğü
 Turks and Caicos Islands Turks and Caicos Islands Civil Aviation Authority
 Tuvalu Pacific Aviation Safety Office
 Uganda Civil Aviation Authority of Uganda Ekitongole kya Uganda ekikola ku by'ennyonyi
 Ukraine State Aviation Administration of Ukraine Державна авіаційна служба України (Державіаслужба)
 United Arab Emirates General Civil Aviation Authority هيئة الطيران المدني
 United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority
 United States Federal Aviation Administration
 Uruguay National Civil Aviation and Aviation Infrastructure Direction Dirección Nacional de Aviación Civil e Infraestructura Aeronáutica
 Vanuatu Pacific Aviation Safety Office
 Venezuela National Institute of Civil Aviation Instituto Nacional de Aviación Civil
 Vietnam Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam Cục Hàng không Việt Nam
 Yemen Civil Aviation and Meteorological Authority of Yemen الهيئة العامة للطيران المدني و الأرصاد
 Zambia Department of Civil Aviation
 Zimbabwe Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Autoridad de Aviación Civil del Estado para niños

  • Air route authority between the United States and China
  • Federal Aviation Regulations
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