CASA EX15/26 — Aircraft Used for Low-visibility Approaches (Radio Altimeters) Exemption 2026

How it works in practice — rules, checks and decisions

• Applicability depends on whether the aerodrome is on the CASA-maintained and CASA-published list; the instrument applies as the list exists from time to time, so operators/pilots must check the current list to know whether the exemption applies. (See clause 3.)
• The exemptions are narrowly framed: they remove the MOS-based compliance requirement only to the extent that the cited MOS sections are what the CASR subregulations would otherwise require. Other CASR requirements remain in force. (See clause 4 language "to the extent that the subregulation requires compliance with...")
• The instrument is time-limited; operators and pilots must plan for the instrument’s expiry on 31 March 2027 and for any subsequent regulatory requirements. (See clause 2.)

Who decides and who bears costs or savings

• CASA decides which aerodromes are included on the list and is responsible for publishing and updating it. Affected operators and pilots must check that list to determine applicability. (See clause 3.)
• Where the exemption applies, operators and pilots are released from the specific MOS compliance obligation. That reduces the immediate compliance requirement tied to those MOS sections for the period of the instrument; operators and pilots therefore avoid the particular actions or investments those MOS sections would have required while the exemption is in force. (See clause 4.)
• The instrument transfers decision-making to operators and pilots about whether to operate under the exemption at listed aerodromes; operators may face planning costs (for example, whether to invest in equipment or procedures that would comply with the MOS once the exemption ends). (See clauses 2 and 4.)

Implementation, compliance and administrative risks

• Compliance requires routine checking of CASA’s published list. Because the list is maintained "as the list exists from time to time," applicability can change without amendment to this instrument; that creates an ongoing compliance check for operators and pilots. (See clause 3.)
• The exemptions are narrow and conditional ("to the extent that" language), so affected parties must interpret the interaction between CASR subregulations and the cited MOS sections to determine precisely what is still required. That interpretive step is a compliance burden and may require legal/technical advice or operational review. (See clause 4.)
• The temporary nature of the instrument creates an operational planning question: whether to rely on the exemption during its term or to meet the underlying MOS requirements in anticipation of the instrument’s expiry. (See clause 2.)

Key source references

• Instrument identification and power to make it: the instrument is made under regulation 11.160 of the Civil Aviation Safety Regulations 1998 (instrument preamble).
• Commencement and expiry: clause 2.
• Applicability (which aerodromes and which persons): clause 3.
• Specific exemptions (Parts and MOS sections): clause 4(1)–4(4).