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JAA
THE EUROPEAN JOINT AVIATION AUTHORITIES
1. WHAT IS THE JAA?
The Joint Aviation Authorities (JAA) are responsible for the production and
publication of Joint Aviation Requirements (JARs) and the associated guidance
and administrative documents.
Introduction
The Joint Aviation Authorities (JAA) is an associated body of the European
Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC) representing the civil aviation regulatory
authorities of a number of European States who have agreed to co-operate in
developing and implementing common safety regulatory standards and procedures.
This co-operation is intended to provide high and consistent standards of safety
and a "level playing-field" for competition in Europe. Much emphasis
is also placed on harmonising the JAA regulations with those of the USA.
The JAA Membership is based on signing the "JAA
Arrangements" document originally signed by the then current Member
States in Cyprus in 1990. Based on these Arrangements
and related commitments, the JAA's objectives and functions may be summarised as
follows:
Objectives:
 | To ensure, through co-operation on regulation, common high levels of
aviation safety within the Member States. |
| To achieve a cost effective safety system so as to contribute to an
efficient aviation industry. |
| To contribute, through the uniform applications of common standards, to
fair and equal competition within the Member States. |
| To promote, through international co-operation, the JAA standards and
system to improve the safety of aviation world-wide. |
Functions:
| To develop and adopt Joint Aviation Requirements (JARs) in the fields of
aircraft design and manufacture, aircraft operations and maintenance, and
the licensing of aviation personnel. |
| To develop administrative and technical procedures for the implementation
of JARs. |
| To implement JARs and the related administrative and technical procedures
in a co-ordinated and uniform manner. |
| To adopt measures to ensure, whenever possible, that pursuance of the JAA
safety objective does not unreasonably distort competition between the
aviation industries of Member States or place companies of Member States at
a competitive disadvantage with companies of non-Member States. |
| To provide the principal centre of professional expertise in Europe on the
harmonisation of aviation safety regulation. |
| To establish procedures for joint certification of products and services
and where it is considered appropriate to perform joint certification. |
| To co-operate on the harmonisation of requirements and procedures with
other safety regulatory authorities, especially the Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA). |
| Where feasible, to co-operate with foreign safety regulatory authorities
especially FAA, on the certification of products and services. |
JAA's work was started in 1970 (when it was known as the Joint Airworthiness
Authorities). Originally its objectives were only to produce common
certification codes for large aeroplanes and for engines. This was to meet the
needs of European industry, particularly for products manufactured by
international consortia (eg Airbus). Since 1987 its work has been extended to
operations, maintenance, licensing and certification/design standards for all
classes of aircraft. Common procedures and the approval of design, production
and maintenance organisations are covered. A single Joint Certification team,
working on behalf of all the JAA countries, is used for certification of new
aircraft and engines. After the successful completion of the evaluations Type
Certificates are issued simultaneously, and on a common basis, by all States.
The JAA originated as the Authorities' response to the technical and economic
needs of the European Aviation Industry. However, since 1 January 1992 JAA
codes, as they are completed, are referenced in the European Community
Regulation on Harmonised Technical Standards1
and become law in the EC States.
Industry is fully represented in committees and working groups developing
requirements and procedures and in a Joint Assembly and Joint Boards where
policy issues are debated. This will be changed as from 2001 into an IPAP
(Interested Parties Advisory Panel), see Figure 4.
The JAA, as presently constituted, carries out its tasks of approval,
certification and safety monitoring using staff of the national authorities, who
also retain the responsibility for the legal findings of granting licences and
certificates, etc. The JAA Headquarters is responsible for the process of
rulemaking, harmonisation and standardisation, (using specialist staff from the
national authorities), the decision-making system, the
"infrastructure" and various related tasks.
1 Council Regulation (EEC) No 3922/91 of 16
December 1991 on the harmonisation of technical requirements and administrative
procedures in the field of civil aviation.
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