Part 131 of the Civil Aviation Safety Regulations came into effect on 2 December 2021. A limited number of rules within Part 91 of CASR apply to manned free balloons and hot air airships (called Part 131 aircraft). Part 131 is intended to be supported by a Manual of Standards (MOS) that contains requirements of greater technical detail.
As a result of industry input, including advice from the Aviation Safety Advisory Panel and Part 131 technical working group, the Part 131 MOS will be subject to further consultation and is not yet in effect.
We’ve updated Civil Aviation Orders (CAOs) 95.53 and 95.54 to ensure a continued effective regulatory scheme for Part 131 aircraft operations. While we work with the balloon community to finalise the MOS, balloon operations will be subject to these legal instruments that effectively keep the previous requirements in place.
An Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) is required to be held to conduct balloon transport operations and commercial balloon flying training. Common requirements related to all AOCs are contained in the Civil Aviation Act 1988. Complementary requirements for the issue and management of AOCs for balloon transport operations are contained in Part 131, but the requirements for commercial balloon flying training remain in a combination of Civil Aviation Orders 82.0 and 82.7 which were extensively revised on 2 December 2021.
In relation to operational standards, Part 131 is intended to specify the requirements applicable to operations that are conducted:
- privately for sport and recreation
- for commercial passenger carrying (previously known as charter and now as balloon transport operations)
- as specialised balloon operations (previously known as aerial work)
- for commercial balloon flying training.
Who it affects
Part 131 applies to all Part 131 aircraft pilots and operators.
A Part 131 aircraft means:
- a hot air balloon
- a hot air airship
- a gas balloon
- a mixed gas and hot air balloon.
An operator of a Part 131 aircraft means the holder of an AOC or other approval, or a person, organisation or enterprise (not necessarily the owner) engaged in aircraft operations involving the aircraft.
Subpart 131.Z sets out the rules for the operation of a permanently tethered gas balloon that is capable of carrying passengers but is not equipped for free flight.