Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/1770 of 12 September 2023 laying down provisions on aircraft equipment required for the use of the Single European Sky airspace and operating rules related to the use of the Single European Sky airspace and repealing Regulation (EC) No 29/2009 and Implementing Regulations (EU) No 1206/2011, (EU) No 1207/2011 and (EU) No 1079/2012

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

Having regard to Regulation (EU) 2018/1139 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 4 July 2018 on common rules in the field of civil aviation and establishing a European Union Aviation Safety Agency, and amending Regulations (EC) No 2111/2005, (EC) No 1008/2008, (EU) No 996/2010, (EU) No 376/2014 and Directives 2014/30/EU and 2014/53/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council, and repealing Regulations (EC) No 552/2004 and (EC) No 216/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council and Council Regulation (EEC) No 3922/91 (1), and in particular Article 44(1), point (a) thereof,

Whereas:

(1) In accordance with Article 140(2) of Regulation (EU) 2018/1139, the implementing rules adopted on the basis of the repealed Regulation (EC) No 552/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council (2) are to be adapted to the provisions of Regulation (EU) 2018/1139, not later than 12 September 2023.

(2) Operating procedures for the use of airspace and the required aircraft equipment should be uniformly applied within the Single European Sky airspace in compliance with the essential requirements set out in point 1 of Annex VIII to Regulation (EU) 2018/1139, for the achievement of interoperability and safe operations. Those requirements therefore should be imposed on operators of aircraft when they fly into, within, or out of the Single European Sky airspace.

(3) In order to ensure the continuity of aircraft operations with equipped Communication, Navigation, and Surveillance capabilities for the use of the Single European Sky airspace, this Regulation should be based on the relevant implementing rules adopted on the basis of Regulation (EC) No 552/2004 with necessary adaptations.

(4) In particular, Commission Regulation (EC) No 29/2009 (3), Implementing Regulations (EU) No 1206/2011 (4), (EU) No 1207/2011 (5) and (EU) No 1079/2012 (6) address detailed provisions concerning the operating rules related to the use of airspace and aircraft equipment. Regulation (EC) No 29/2009 and Implementing Regulations (EU) No 1206/2011, (EU) No 1207/2011 and (EU) No 1079/2012 should therefore be repealed.

(5) Whenever possible, the existing requirements stemming from those Regulations should be replicated in this Regulation in order to respect the legitimate expectations of aircraft operators and ATM/ANS providers affected by those requirements.

(6) It is appropriate that those requirements continue to apply to aircraft operators that operate as general air traffic in the Single European Sky airspace, during all phases of flight and in the movement area of an aerodrome, with the exception of aircraft referred to in Article 2(3), point (a), of Regulation (EU) 2018/1139. Member States should be responsible for ensuring that operations of these aircraft have due regard for the safety of navigation of all other aircraft. Member States may, however, decide to apply this Regulation to those aircraft.

(7) In line with the scope of Regulation (EC) No 29/2009, this Regulation should provide for the same exceptions to datalink requirements as granted under Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2019/2012 (7).

(8) Article 14(2) of Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1079/2012 provided for exemptions from the obligation to operate an aircraft where radio is required with its radio equipment having 8,33 kHz channel spacing capability. This Regulation should not alter the existing exemptions.

(9) The development of requirements in this Regulation have taken due account of the content of the ATM Master Plan and the communication, navigation and surveillance capabilities contained in it.

(10) With its Opinion 01/2023, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency has prepared and submitted to the Commission draft implementing rules in accordance with Article 75(2), points (b) and (c), and Article 76(1) of Regulation (EU) 2018/1139.

(11) The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the committee established in accordance with Article 127 of Regulation (EU) 2018/1139,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

Subject matter and scope

Article 2

Definitions

For the purposes of this Implementing Regulation, the following definitions shall apply:

(1) ‘air traffic control unit’ (ATC unit) means a generic term meaning variously, area control centre, approach control unit, or aerodrome control tower;

(2) ‘data link service’ means a set of related air traffic management transactions, supported by air–ground data link communications, which have a clearly defined operational goal and which begin and end on an operational event;

(3) ‘offset carrier operation’ means a case where the designated operational coverage cannot be ensured by a single ground transmitter, and where the signals from two or more ground transmitters are offset from the nominal channel centre frequency in order to minimise interference problems.

Article 3

Aircraft equipment and operating rules

Aircraft operators shall ensure that their aircraft are equipped and operated in accordance with the rules and procedures set out in Annex I (Part-COM) and Annex II (Part-SUR).

Article 4

Means of compliance

Article 5

Repeal

Regulations (EC) No 29/2009 and Implementing Regulations (EU) No 1206/2011, (EU) No 1207/2011 and (EU) No 1079/2012 are repealed.

Article 6

Entry into force

This Regulation shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.

Done at Brussels, 12 September 2023.

For the Commission The President Ursula VON DER LEYEN

(1) OJ L 212, 22.8.2018, p. 1.

(2) Regulation (EC) No 552/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 10 March 2004 on the interoperability of the European Air Traffic Management network (the interoperability Regulation) (OJ L 96, 31.3.2004, p. 26).

(3) Commission Regulation (EC) No 29/2009 of 16 January 2009 laying down requirements on data link services for the single European sky (OJ L 13, 17.1.2009, p. 3).

(4) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1206/2011 of 22 November 2011 laying down requirements on aircraft identification for surveillance for the single European sky (OJ L 305, 23.11.2011, p. 23).

(5) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1207/2011 of 22 November 2011 laying down requirements for the performance and the interoperability of surveillance for the single European sky (OJ L 305, 23.11.2011, p. 35).

(6) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1079/2012 of 16 November 2012 laying down requirements for voice channels spacing for the single European sky (OJ L 320, 17.11.2012, p. 14).

(7) Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2019/2012 of 29 November 2019 on exemptions under Article 14 of Commission Regulation (EC) No 29/2009 laying down requirements on data link services for the single European sky (OJ L 312, 3.12.2019, p. 95).