PNG Civil Aviation Act and the Regulatory Framework
Where the legal power sits
The Civil Aviation Act 2000 is the parent statute for aviation in PNG. It establishes the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA PNG) and the office of the Director of Civil Aviation (DCA), and it is the instrument through which the Chicago Convention and ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices are given domestic effect. The DCA issues certificates, licences and approvals, and may vary, suspend or revoke them, inspect and detain aircraft, enter premises, and deal with offences by infringement notice or prosecution. The technical detail lives in the Civil Aviation Safety Rules (CASR), made under the Act.
Who does what
- Minister - policy and rule-making; does not personally issue licences.
- CASA PNG / DCA - certification, licensing, oversight, enforcement.
- PNG Air Services Ltd - air navigation services and ATS in the Port Moresby FIR.
- Accident Investigation Commission - independent Annex 13 investigations, deliberately separated from CASA so the regulator is not judging its own decisions.
Worked example
An inspector finds an aircraft dispatched with an expired maintenance release. The authority to inspect, detain and suspend comes from the Act; the standard breached comes from the CASR maintenance part. The suspension is an administrative act with a review or appeal route set by the Act - not an appeal to ICAO or to the manufacturer.
Traps that cost marks
- Treating advisory circulars, AIP entries or ICAO Annexes as self-executing law. They are guidance, or are implemented through the Act and CASR.
- Assuming CASA PNG investigates accidents - it does not.
- Assuming the Minister grants or cancels individual licences.
- Forgetting that a foreign-registered aircraft needs specific authorisation before it can be used on domestic operations.