Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/111 of 23 January 2025 amending Regulation (EU) No 1321/2014 as regards continuing airworthiness for electric- and hybrid-propulsion aircraft and other non-conventional aircraft

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 17(1), point (b) and points (d) to (f), thereof,

Whereas:

(1) Commission Regulation (EU) No 1321/2014 (2) lays down the requirements for the continuing airworthiness of aircraft, including the qualifications and licences of the personnel responsible for the release to service of products after maintenance.

(2) Regulation (EU) No 1321/2014 explicitly specifies the aircraft categories to which the requirements apply, namely aeroplane, helicopter or rotorcraft, sailplane, balloon and airship. There exist certain non-conventional aircraft, primarily emerging from recent industrial developments, referred to as new air mobility aircraft, which do not fit within any of the aforementioned aircraft categories. This creates legal uncertainty regarding the applicability of specific aspects of the current regulatory framework to these aircraft. In addition, existing alleviations covered by Regulation (EU) No 1321/2014 applicable to aircraft of comparable safety risk should also be extended to non-conventional aircraft by analogy.

(3) Similarly, there are regulatory gaps stemming from the fact that Regulation (EU) No 1321/2014 is sometimes prescriptive on the aircraft power plant, only considering piston and turbine engines as power plants for aeroplanes and helicopters. This is not in line with new industrial developments that consider other power plants, such as electrical engines or hybrid ones. It is also necessary to to cater for a smooth transition for the new rules so that they do not impede the introduction of small electrical aeroplanes, in particular in respect of their aircraft maintenance license.

(4) In order to address those regulatory gaps, requirements should apply to any current or future aircraft developments and their power plants.

(5) By considering all tilt-rotors as complex motor-powered aircraft, Regulation (EU) No 1321/2014 was not commensurate for the simplest ones as stringent requirements applicable to any complex motor-powered aircraft was also applicable to the simplest tilt-rotors, for which less stringent requirements should apply by comparison with simple aircraft of other categories, namely aeroplanes and helicopters. Therefore the definition of complex motor-powered aircraft should therefore be amended

(6) Regulation (EU) No 1321/2014 should therefore be amended accordingly.

(7) The amendments are based on Opinion No 04/2024 (3) of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency in accordance with Article 75(2), point (b), and Article 76(1) of Regulation (EU) 2018/1139.

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

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

Regulation (EU) No 1321/2014 is amended as follows:

(4) Annex I (Part-M) is amended in accordance with Annex I to this Regulation;

(5) Annex II (Part-145) is amended in accordance with Annex II to this Regulation;

(6) Annex III (Part-66) is amended in accordance with Annex III to this Regulation;

(7) Annex IV (Part-147) is amended in accordance with Annex IV to this Regulation;

(8) Annex Vb (Part-ML) is amended in accordance with Annex V to this Regulation;

(9) Annex Vd (Part-CAO) is amended in accordance with Annex VI to this Regulation.

Article 2

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

It shall apply from 13 February 2026.

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

Done at Brussels, 23 January 2025.

For the Commission The President Ursula VON DER LEYEN

(1) OJ L 212, 22.8.2018, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2018/1139/oj.

(2) Commission Regulation (EU) No 1321/2014 of 26 November 2014 on the continuing airworthiness of aircraft and aeronautical products, parts and appliances, and on the approval of organisations and personnel involved in these tasks ( OJ L 362, 17.12.2014, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2014/1321/oj).

(3) Opinion 04/2024 of 19 June 2024 of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, New air mobility – Continuing airworthiness rules for electric- and hybrid-propulsion aircraft and other non-conventional aircraft (Subtask 1).