When compliance with CASA's new maintenance rules becomes mandatory in the middle of next year, AOC holders will have a 3 year grace period to ensure that all aircraft that operate under their AOC have had an Airworthiness Review Certificate issued.
The new rules around the airworthiness review process are very prescriptive and the compliance process becomes a long and tedious activity for older aircraft, especially those that have been operated by a number of carriers as the maintenance record requirement is "back to birth" for the aircraft.
This will present a significant challenge for operators that have "inspected in" their airworthiness assurance when sourcing parts from salvaged aircraft. Not to say that this process is inappropriate or less airworthy, just that tracing "back to birth" compliance becomes extremely difficult.
I suspect that this will prevent some aircraft continuing RPT operations past middle of 2016.
MP