Variations
In the past when Fleet have been questioned about discrepancies between our FTL and CAR OPS, the answer was always; 'The GCAA authorise and stamp our Manuals including the OMA therefore it is GCAA approved'
I would love to hear that answer at in a Western Court of Law.
However, looking at the GCAA website, they have written;
"CAR–OPS 1.1120 Standard provisions applicable to a scheme
(a) Subject to the maxima and minima specified in this subpart, it is incumbent on the operator to
establish maximum FDPs and minimum rest periods appropriate to the nature of flight
operations undertaken.
(b) An operator of an aircraft shall have a scheme for the regulation of flight and duty times of
crews. The scheme shall be approved by the Authority and be included in the Operations Manual
for the benefit of all crew members and the staff concerned with the preparation and day to day
management of rostering and scheduling.
(c) Although operators must plan their schemes in accordance with the requirements, it is
recognised that the standard provisions will not necessarily satisfy every type of operation. In
these circumstances operators may apply for FTL Variation to the standard provisions at least 30
days, or as otherwise agreed, before the date of the intended operation.. Consideration will only
be given where an operator can show that any proposal will ensure a better or equivalent level
of protection against fatigue than the basic requirements.
(d) Approval of FTL Variation by GCAA:
The GCAA may grant variations to the FTL requirements contained in this Subpart provided the
operator demonstrates to the GCAA, on the basis of a risk assessment, that an equivalent level of
safety is ensured. GCAA may impose additional requirements prior to the approval of the variations
to the prescriptive scheme.. A validation flight may be conducted by the GCAA before or after the
issuance of each route FTL variation scheme.
Note: Any existing approved Flight Time Variation to the prescriptive scheme shall remain in force until the
time a re‐assessment is required. Such re‐assessment shall be conducted considering the AMC or GM
to 1.1120(d)."
You will note we have 3 Variations, the third relating to ULR flights. This Variation basically negates the whole FTL chapter and its requirements.
So long as the GCAA rubber stamp the OMA the Chapter 7 is binding.
Not so long ago an amendment removed the requirement of inclusion of 30minutes post flight duties for Flight Crew. It was still there for the Cabin Crew. Presumably a simple typo. But Crewing and VPNC took advantage straight away, counting the following day as a day off so long as you were on Chocks by 2359. You will still see the evidence of this in some of our schedules finishing at 2359. The OMA was later corrected and the paragraph returned.
I personally have very little faith in the Regulators oversight of our FTL and many other important safety related policies. This is a case where I think the tail often wags the dog!
I think for the most part Emirates and possibly Etihad tell the GCAA how things will be, not the other way around.