Thanks for your input guys
Its strange that at some airlines this concept is considered acceptable & is common practice (the airline I work at included)
My understanding in this regard has always been that it is not OK to release an aircraft in this condition
1- An aircraft cannot commence a flight without a valid maintenance release covering the entire period of the proposed flight, certifying that all required maintenance as been carried out & certified on the aircraft
2- The maintenance release must also consider permissable unserviceabilities (MELs) and previous maintenance releases
Unless I'm mistaken in my understanding of this concept, the flight that I mention is illegal
I took this up with our Quality manager & even he thinks that as long as the flight takes off before midnight, its legal. From what he explains, European regulations are more strict & the FAA regulations allow you to make that last flight. I havent been able to find any documentation however that clarifies this
Cheers