background image

80 

14 CFR Ch. I (1–1–24 Edition) 

§ 121.1 

Subpart A—General 

§ 121.1 Applicability. 

This part prescribes rules gov-

erning— 

(a) The domestic, flag, and supple-

mental operations of each person who 
holds or is required to hold an Air Car-
rier Certificate or Operating Certifi-
cate under part 119 of this chapter. 

(b) Each person employed or used by 

a certificate holder conducting oper-
ations under this part including main-
tenance, preventive maintenance, and 
alteration of aircraft. 

(c) Each person who applies for provi-

sional approval of an Advanced Quali-
fication Program curriculum, cur-
riculum segment, or portion of a cur-
riculum segment under subpart Y of 
this part, and each person employed or 
used by an air carrier or commercial 
operator under this part to perform 
training, qualification, or evaluation 
functions under an Advanced Qualifica-
tion Program under subpart Y of this 
part. 

(d) Nonstop Commercial Air Tours 

conducted for compensation or hire in 
accordance with § 119.1(e)(2) of this 
chapter must comply with drug and al-
cohol requirements in §§ 121.455, 121.457, 
121.458 and 121.459, and with the provi-
sions of part 136, subpart A of this 
chapter by September 11, 2007. An oper-
ator who does not hold an air carrier 
certificate or an operating certificate 
is permitted to use a person who is oth-
erwise authorized to perform aircraft 
maintenance or preventive mainte-
nance duties and who is not subject to 
anti-drug and alcohol misuse preven-
tion programs to perform— 

(1) Aircraft maintenance or preven-

tive maintenance on the operator’s air-
craft if the operator would otherwise 
be required to transport the aircraft 
more than 50 nautical miles further 
than the repair point closest to the op-
erator’s principal base of operations to 
obtain these services; or 

(2) Emergency repairs on the opera-

tor’s aircraft if the aircraft cannot be 
safely operated to a location where an 
employee subject to FAA-approved pro-
grams can perform the repairs. 

(e) Each person who is on board an 

aircraft being operated under this part. 

(f) Each person who is an applicant 

for an Air Carrier Certificate or an Op-
erating Certificate under part 119 of 
this chapter, when conducting proving 
tests. 

(g) This part also establishes require-

ments for operators to take actions to 
support the continued airworthiness of 
each aircraft. 

[Doc. No. 28154, 60 FR 65925, Dec. 20, 1995, as 
amended by Amdt. 121–328, 72 FR 6912, Feb. 
13, 2007; Amdt. 121–336, 72 FR 63411, Nov. 8, 
2007; Docket No. FAA–2022–1563; Amdt. No. 
121–390, 88 FR 48090, July 26, 2023] 

§ 121.2 Compliance schedule for opera-

tors that transition to part 121; cer-

tain new entrant operators. 

(a) 

Applicability. 

This section applies 

to the following: 

(1) Each certificate holder that was 

issued an air carrier or operating cer-
tificate and operations specifications 
under the requirements of part 135 of 
this chapter or under SFAR No. 38–2 of 
14 CFR part 121 before January 19, 1996, 
and that conducts scheduled passenger- 
carrying operations with: 

(i) Nontransport category turbo-

propeller powered airplanes type cer-
tificated after December 31, 1964, that 
have a passenger seat configuration of 
10–19 seats; 

(ii) Transport category turbo-

propeller powered airplanes that have a 
passenger seat configuration of 20–30 
seats; or 

(iii) Turbojet engine powered air-

planes having a passenger seat configu-
ration of 1–30 seats. 

(2) Each person who, after January 

19, 1996, applies for or obtains an initial 
air carrier or operating certificate and 
operations specifications to conduct 
scheduled passenger-carrying oper-
ations in the kinds of airplanes de-
scribed in paragraphs (a)(1)(i), (a)(1)(ii), 
or paragraph (a)(1)(iii) of this section. 

(b) 

Obtaining operations specifications. 

A certificate holder described in para-
graph (a)(1) of this section may not, 
after March 20, 1997, operate an air-
plane described in paragraphs (a)(1)(i), 
(a)(1)(ii), or (a)(1)(iii) of this section in 
scheduled passenger-carrying oper-
ations, unless it obtains operations 
specifications to conduct its scheduled 
operations under this part on or before 
March 20, 1997. 

background image

81 

Federal Aviation Administration, DOT 

§ 121.2 

(c) 

Regular or accelerated compliance. 

Except as provided in paragraphs (d), 
(e), and (i) of this section, each certifi-
cate holder described in paragraphs 
(a)(1) of this section shall comply with 
each applicable requirement of this 
part on and after March 20, 1997 or on 
and after the date on which the certifi-
cate holder is issued operations speci-
fications under this part, whichever oc-
curs first. Except as provided in para-
graphs (d) and (e) of this section, each 
person described in paragraph (a)(2) of 
this section shall comply with each ap-
plicable requirement of this part on 
and after the date on which that person 
is issued a certificate and operations 
specifications under this part. 

(d) 

Delayed compliance dates. 

Unless 

paragraph (e) of this section specifies 
an earlier compliance date, no certifi-
cate holder that is covered by para-
graph (a) of this section may operate 
an airplane in 14 CFR part 121 oper-
ations on or after a date listed in this 
paragraph (d) unless that airplane 
meets the applicable requirement of 
this paragraph (d): 

(1) 

Nontransport category turbo-

propeller powered airplanes type certifi-
cated after December 31, 1964, that have a 
passenger seat configuration of 10–19 
seats. 

No certificate holder may oper-

ate under this part an airplane that is 
described in paragraph (a)(1)(i) of this 
section on or after a date listed in 
paragraph (d)(1) of this section unless 
that airplane meets the applicable re-
quirement listed in paragraph (d)(1) of 
this section: 

(i) December 20, 1997: 
(A) Section 121.289, Landing gear 

aural warning. 

(B) Section 121.308, Lavatory fire pro-

tection. 

(C) Section 121.310(e), Emergency exit 

handle illumination. 

(D) Section 121.337(b)(8), Protective 

breathing equipment. 

(E) Section 121.340, Emergency flota-

tion means. 

(ii) December 20, 1999: Section 121.342, 

Pitot heat indication system. 

(iii) December 20, 2010: 
(A) For airplanes described in 

§ 121.157(f), the Airplane Performance 
Operating Limitations in §§ 121.189 
through 121.197. 

(B) Section 121.161(b), Ditching ap-

proval. 

(C) Section 121.305(j), Third attitude 

indicator. 

(D) Section 121.312(c), Passenger seat 

cushion flammability. 

(iv) March 12, 1999: Section 

121.310(b)(1), Interior emergency exit 
locating sign. 

(2) 

Transport category turbopropeller 

powered airplanes that have a passenger 
seat configuration of 20–30 seats. 

No cer-

tificate holder may operate under this 
part an airplane that is described in 
paragraph (a)(1)(ii) of this section on or 
after a date listed in paragraph (d)(2) of 
this section unless that airplane meets 
the applicable requirement listed in 
paragraph (d)(2) of this section: 

(i) December 20, 1997: 
(A) Section 121.308, Lavatory fire pro-

tection. 

(B) Section 121.337(b) (8) and (9), Pro-

tective breathing equipment. 

(C) Section 121.340, Emergency flota-

tion means. 

(ii) December 20, 2010: § 121.305(j), 

third attitude indicator. 

(e) 

Newly manufactured airplanes. 

No 

certificate holder that is described in 
paragraph (a) of this section may oper-
ate under this part an airplane manu-
factured on or after a date listed in 
this paragraph unless that airplane 
meets the applicable requirement list-
ed in this paragraph (e). 

(1) For nontransport category turbo-

propeller powered airplanes type cer-
tificated after December 31, 1964, that 
have a passenger seat configuration of 
10–19 seats: 

(i) Manufactured on or after March 

20, 1997: 

(A) Section 121.305(j), Third attitude 

indicator. 

(B) Section 121.311(f), Safety belts 

and shoulder harnesses. 

(ii) Manufactured on or after Decem-

ber 20, 1997; Section 121.317(a), Fasten 
seat belt light. 

(iii) Manufactured on or after Decem-

ber 20, 1999: Section 121.293, Takeoff 
warning system. 

(iv) Manufactured on or after March 

12, 1999: Section 121.310(b)(1), Interior 
emergency exit locating sign. 

(2) For transport category turbo-

propeller powered airplanes that have a 
passenger seat configuration of 20–30 

background image

82 

14 CFR Ch. I (1–1–24 Edition) 

§ 121.4 

seats manufactured on or after March 
20, 1997: Section 121.305(j), Third atti-
tude indicator. 

(f) 

New type certification requirements. 

No person may operate an airplane for 
which the application for a type cer-
tificate was filed after March 29, 1995, 
in 14 CFR part 121 operations unless 
that airplane is type certificated under 
part 25 of this chapter. 

(g) 

Transition plan. 

Before March 19, 

1996 each certificate holder described in 
paragraph (a)(1) of this section must 
submit to the FAA a transition plan 
(containing a calendar of events) for 
moving from conducting its scheduled 
operations under the commuter re-
quirements of part 135 of this chapter 
to the requirements for domestic or 
flag operations under this part. Each 
transition plan must contain details on 
the following: 

(1) Plans for obtaining new oper-

ations specifications authorizing do-
mestic or flag operations; 

(2) Plans for being in compliance 

with the applicable requirements of 
this part on or before March 20, 1997; 
and 

(3) Plans for complying with the com-

pliance date schedules contained in 
paragraphs (d) and (e) of this section. 

(h) 

Continuing requirements. 

A certifi-

cate holder described in paragraph (a) 
of this section shall comply with the 
applicable airplane operating and 
equipment requirements of part 135 of 
this chapter for the airplanes described 
in paragraph (a)(1) of this section, until 
the airplane meets the specific compli-
ance dates in paragraphs (d) and (e) of 
this section. 

(i) Any training or qualification ob-

tained by a crewmember under part 135 
of this chapter before March 20, 1997, is 
entitled to credit under this part for 
the purpose of meeting the require-
ments of this part, as determined by 
the Administrator. Records kept by a 
certificate holder under part 135 of this 
chapter before March 20, 1997, can be 
annotated, with the approval of the Ad-
ministrator, to reflect crewmember 

training and qualification credited to-
ward part 121 requirements. 

[Doc. No. 28154, 60 FR 65925, Dec. 20, 1995, as 
amended by Amdt. 121–253, 61 FR 2609, Jan. 
26, 1996; Amdt. 121–256, 61 FR 30434, June 14, 
1996; Amdt. 121–262, 62 FR 13256, Mar. 19, 1997; 
Amdt. 121–344, 74 FR 34234, July 15, 2009] 

§ 121.4 Applicability of rules to unau-

thorized operators. 

The rules in this part which refer to 

a person certificated under part 119 of 
this chapter apply also to any person 
who engages in an operation governed 
by this part without the appropriate 
certificate and operations specifica-
tions required by part 119 of this chap-
ter. 

[Doc. No. 11675, 37 FR 20937, Oct. 5, 1972, as 
amended by Amdt. 121–251, 60 FR 65926, Dec. 
20, 1995] 

§ 121.7 Definitions. 

The following definitions apply to 

those sections of part 121 that apply to 
ETOPS: 

Adequate Airport 

means an airport 

that an airplane operator may list with 
approval from the FAA because that 
airport meets the landing limitations 
of § 121.197 and is either— 

(1) An airport that meets the require-

ments of part 139, subpart D of this 
chapter, excluding those that apply to 
aircraft rescue and firefighting service, 
or 

(2) A military airport that is active 

and operational. 

ETOPS Alternate Airport 

means an 

adequate airport listed in the certifi-
cate holder’s operations specifications 
that is designated in a dispatch or 
flight release for use in the event of a 
diversion during ETOPS. This defini-
tion applies to flight planning and does 
not in any way limit the authority of 
the pilot-in-command during flight. 

ETOPS Area of Operation 

means one 

of the following areas: 

(1) For turbine-engine-powered air-

planes with two engines, an area be-
yond 60 minutes from an adequate air-
port, computed using a one-engine-in-
operative cruise speed under standard 
conditions in still air. 

(2) For turbine-engine-powered pas-

senger-carrying airplanes with more 
than two engines, an area beyond 180 
minutes from an adequate airport,