Revision of Third Air Package
Regulation (EC) No 1008/2008 of 24th September 2008 on common rules for the operation of air services in the Community was published today in the Official Journal of the European Union. This Regulation enters into force on 1st November 2008.
The Regulation consolidates and updates the set of liberalisation measures known as the ‘Third Air Package’ which was adopted by the European Commission in 1992. This Package had three elements: Regulation No. 2407/92 on licensing of air carriers; Regulation No 2408/92 on access for Community air carriers to intra-Community air routes; and Regulation No. 2409/92 which dealt with liberalised fares. The new Regulation consolidates the three Regulations of the Third Package into one to facilitate a more effective aviation market in the future.
The Commission for Aviation Regulation will continue to be the competent licensing authority under the new Regulation for the purposes of licensing of air carriers.
The key areas of change are the introduction of stricter requirements on the financial conditions which all EU air carriers must fulfill and the monitoring of these by Member States. The new Regulation also clarifies the criteria for the granting and validity of the operating licence and introduces stricter requirements for the practice of wet leasing aircraft registered outside the EU while easing the requirements relating to the leasing of aircraft registered in the EU.
The Commission has prepared a document which sets out the main changes to the air carrier licensing requirements under the new Regulation.