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.
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
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,