National Aviation Authority

Due to the inherent dangers in the use of flight vehicles, National Aviation Authorities typically regulate the following critical aspects of aircraft airworthiness and their operation:

 • Design of aircraft, engines, airborne equipment and ground-based equipment affecting flight safety
 • Conditions of manufacture and test of aircraft and equipment
 • Maintenance of aircraft and equipment
 • Operation of aircraft and equipment
 • Licensing of pilots and maintenance engineers
 • Licensing of airports and navigational aids
 • Standards for air traffic control

Depending on the legal system of the parent country, a NAA will derive its power from an act of Parliament (such as the Civil or Federal Aviation Act), and is then empowered to make regulations within the bounds of the act. This allows technical aspects of airworthiness to be dealt with by subject matter experts and not politicians.

A NAA may also be involved in the investigation of aircraft accidents, although in many cases this is left to a separate body (such as the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) in Australia or the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in the United States), to allow independent review of regulatory oversight.

A NAA will regulate the control of air traffic but a separate agency will generally carry out air traffic control functions.

In some countries the national aviation authorities build and operate airports, including non-airside operations such as passenger terminals; the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines is one such national authority. In other countries either private companies or local government authorities own and operate individual airports.

folder_open...Aviation Glossary