{"id":"F2010L03397","name":"CASA EX108/10 – Exemption – side facing seats on aircraft not occupied for take-off or landing","slug":"casa-ex108-10-exemption-side-facing-seats-on-aircraft-not-occupied-for-take-off-or-landing","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"repealed","isInForce":false,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":85818,"registerId":"commonwealth-F2010L03397-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-02","status":"Repealed","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"CASA EX108/10 – Exemption – side facing seats on aircraft not occupied for take-off or landing","content":"Instrument number CASA EX108/10\n\nI, JONATHAN ALECK, Acting Director of Aviation Safety, on behalf of CASA, make this instrument under regulation 11.160 of the Civil Aviation Safety Regulations 1998 (CASR 1998).\n\n\\[Signed Jonathan Aleck\\]\n\nJonathan Aleck  \nActing Director of Aviation Safety\n\n22 December 2010\n\nExemption — side facing seats on aircraft not occupied for take-off or landing\n\n1 Duration\n\nThis instrument:\n\n(a) commences on the day after it is registered; and\n\n(b) stops having effect at the end of 30 November 2012.\n\n> Note Part 90 of CASR 1998 will be amended before the exemption expires.\n\n2 Application\n\nThis instrument applies to the registered operator of an aircraft to which Subpart 90.B of CASR 1998 applies.\n\n> Note Subpart 90.B of CASR 1998 applies to aircraft other than balloons, airships, sailplanes, powered sailplanes and aircraft with certain special certificates of airworthiness, experimental certificates, special flight permits and provisional certificates of airworthiness.\n\n3 Exemption\n\nThe registered operator of an aircraft is exempt from regulation 90.120 of CASR 1998.\n\n> Note Regulation 90.120 of CASR 1998 deals with safety standards for side-facing seats.\n\n4 Conditions\n\nThe exemption is subject to the conditions mentioned in Schedule 1.\n\nSchedule 1 Conditions\n\nThe exemption applies to a side-facing seat of an aircraft only if:\n\n(a) the registered operator requires the seat to be unoccupied during take-off or landing; and\n\n(b) the seat has a prominent placard prohibiting occupancy during take-off or landing.","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"kimi_summary":{"_metrics":{"model":"kimi-k2.5","source":"moonshot-batch","completionTokens":1784},"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The instrument remains tightly focused on its original purpose: providing a time-limited exemption from side-facing seat safety standards for unoccupied seats. No expansion beyond the specific regulatory relief described in the title and opening provisions."},"complexity_factors":["Extremely short instrument (only 4 operative sections plus a brief schedule)","Single exemption from one clearly identified regulation (90.120 of CASR 1998)","Only two simple conditions to satisfy (unoccupied during take-off/landing + placard requirement)","Minimal cross-referencing (limited to Subpart 90.B and regulation 90.120 of CASR 1998)","Straightforward temporal limits with fixed commencement and expiry dates"],"plain_english_summary":"**What this does:** This is a temporary exemption from aviation safety rules for aircraft operators.\n\nNormally, aviation regulations require **side-facing seats** (seats that face the aisle or wall rather than the front or back of the aircraft) to meet strict safety standards to protect passengers during crashes. This instrument allows registered aircraft operators to **ignore those specific safety standards**, but only under strict conditions:\n\n*   The seat **must remain empty** during take-off and landing (the most dangerous phases of flight)\n*   There must be a **prominent sign** (placard) on the seat prohibiting occupancy during take-off and landing\n\n**Who it affects:** Registered operators of most aircraft (excluding balloons, airships, gliders, and aircraft with special or experimental certificates).\n\n**Why it matters:** It provides temporary flexibility for aircraft configuration while maintaining passenger safety by ensuring no one sits in these less-protected seats during critical moments. The exemption was time-limited, anticipating permanent rule changes."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/casa-ex108-10-exemption-side-facing-seats-on-aircraft-not-occupied-for-take-off-or-landing","history":"/api/acts/casa-ex108-10-exemption-side-facing-seats-on-aircraft-not-occupied-for-take-off-or-landing/history","analysis":"/api/acts/casa-ex108-10-exemption-side-facing-seats-on-aircraft-not-occupied-for-take-off-or-landing/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/casa-ex108-10-exemption-side-facing-seats-on-aircraft-not-occupied-for-take-off-or-landing/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/casa-ex108-10-exemption-side-facing-seats-on-aircraft-not-occupied-for-take-off-or-landing/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/casa-ex108-10-exemption-side-facing-seats-on-aircraft-not-occupied-for-take-off-or-landing/documents"}}