Appendix P to Part 121 - Requirements for ETOPS and Polar Operations
14:3.0.1.1.7.32.3.1.21 : Appendix P
Appendix P to Part 121 - Requirements for ETOPS and Polar
Operations
The FAA approves ETOPS in accordance with the requirements and
limitations in this appendix.
Section I. ETOPS Approvals: Airplanes with Two
engines.
(a) Propulsion system reliability for ETOPS. (1) Before
the FAA grants ETOPS operational approval, the operator must be
able to demonstrate the ability to achieve and maintain the level
of propulsion system reliability, if any, that is required by §
21.4(b)(2) of this chapter for the ETOPS-approved airplane-engine
combination to be used.
(2) Following ETOPS operational approval, the operator must
monitor the propulsion system reliability for the airplane-engine
combination used in ETOPS, and take action as required by §
121.374(i) for the specified IFSD rates.
(b) 75 Minutes ETOPS - (1) Caribbean/Western Atlantic
Area. The FAA grants approvals to conduct
ETOPS with maximum diversion times up to 75 minutes on Western
Atlantic/Caribbean area routes as follows:
(i) The FAA reviews the airplane-engine combination to ensure
the absence of factors that could prevent safe operations. The
airplane-engine combination need not be type-design-approved for
ETOPS; however, it must have sufficient favorable experience to
demonstrate to the Administrator a level of reliability appropriate
for 75-minute ETOPS.
(ii) The certificate holder must comply with the requirements of
§ 121.633 for time-limited system planning.
(iii) The certificate holder must operate in accordance with the
ETOPS authority as contained in its operations specifications.
(iv) The certificate holder must comply with the maintenance
program requirements of § 121.374, except that a pre-departure
service check before departure of the return flight is not
required.
(2) Other Areas. The FAA grants approvals to conduct
ETOPS with maximum diversion times up to 75 minutes on other than
Western Atlantic/Caribbean area routes as follows:
(i) The FAA reviews the airplane-engine combination to ensure
the absence of factors that could prevent safe operations. The
airplane-engine combination need not be type-design-approved for
ETOPS; however, it must have sufficient favorable experience to
demonstrate to the Administrator a level of reliability appropriate
for 75-minute ETOPS.
(ii) The certificate holder must comply with the requirements of
§ 121.633 for time-limited system planning.
(iii) The certificate holder must operate in accordance with the
ETOPS authority as contained in its operations specifications.
(iv) The certificate holder must comply with the maintenance
program requirements of § 121.374.
(v) The certificate holder must comply with the MEL in its
operations specifications for 120-minute ETOPS.
(c) 90-minutes ETOPS (Micronesia). The FAA grants
approvals to conduct ETOPS with maximum diversion times up to 90
minutes on Micronesian area routes as follows:
(1) The airplane-engine combination must be type-design approved
for ETOPS of at least 120-minutes.
(2) The certificate holder must operate in accordance with the
ETOPS authority as contained in its operations specifications.
(3) The certificate holder must comply with the maintenance
program requirements of § 121.374, except that a pre-departure
service check before departure of the return flight is not
required.
(4) The certificate holder must comply with the MEL requirements
in its operations specifications for 120-minute ETOPS.
(d) 120-minute ETOPS. The FAA grants approvals to conduct
ETOPS with maximum diversion times up to 120 minutes as
follows:
(1) The airplane-engine combination must be type-design-approved
for ETOPS of at least 120 minutes.
(2) The certificate holder must operate in accordance with the
ETOPS authority as contained in its operations specifications.
(3) The certificate holder must comply with the maintenance
program requirements of § 121.374.
(4) The certificate holder must comply with the MEL requirements
for 120-minute ETOPS.
(e) 138-Minute ETOPS. The FAA grants approval to conduct
ETOPS with maximum diversion times up to 138 minutes as
follows:
(1) Operators with 120-minute ETOPS approval. The FAA
grants 138-minute ETOPS approval as an extension of an existing
120-minute ETOPS approval as follows:
(i) The authority may be exercised only for specific flights for
which the 120-minute diversion time must be exceeded.
(ii) For these flight-by-flight exceptions, the airplane-engine
combination must be type-design-approved for ETOPS up to at least
120 minutes. The capability of the airplane's time-limited systems
may not be less than 138 minutes calculated in accordance with §
121.633.
(iii) The certificate holder must operate in accordance with the
ETOPS authority as contained in its operations specifications.
(iv) The certificate holder must comply with the maintenance
program requirements of § 121.374.
(v) The certificate holder must comply with minimum equipment
list (MEL) requirements in its operations specifications for
“beyond 120 minutes ETOPS”. Operators without a “beyond 120-minute
ETOPS” MEL may apply through their responsible Flight Standards
office for a modified MEL which satisfies the master MEL policy for
system/component relief in ETOPS beyond 120 minutes.
(vi) The certificate holder must conduct training for
maintenance, dispatch, and flight crew personnel regarding
differences between 138-minute ETOPS authority and its
previously-approved 120-minute ETOPS authority.
(2) Operators with existing 180-minute ETOPS approval.
The FAA grants approvals to conduct 138-minute ETOPS (without the
limitation in paragraph (e)(1)(i) of section I of this appendix) to
certificate holders with existing 180-minute ETOPS approval as
follows:
(i) The airplane-engine combination must be type-design-approved
for ETOPS of at least 180 minutes.
(ii) The certificate holder must operate in accordance with the
ETOPS authority as contained in its operations specifications.
(iii) The certificate holder must comply with the maintenance
program requirements of § 121.374.
(iv) The certificate holder must comply with the MEL
requirements for “beyond 120 minutes ETOPS.”
(v) The certificate holder must conduct training for
maintenance, dispatch and flight crew personnel for differences
between 138-minute ETOPS diversion approval and its previously
approved 180-minute ETOPS diversion authority.
(f) 180-minute ETOPS. The FAA grants approval to conduct
ETOPS with diversion times up to 180 minutes as follows:
(1) For these operations the airplane-engine combination must be
type-design-approved for ETOPS of at least 180 minutes.
(2) The certificate holder must operate in accordance with the
ETOPS authority as contained in its operations specifications.
(3) The certificate holder must comply with the maintenance
program requirements of § 121.374.
(4) The certificate holder must comply with the MEL requirements
for “beyond 120 minutes ETOPS.”
(g) Greater than 180-minute ETOPS. The FAA grants
approval to conduct ETOPS greater than 180 minutes. The following
are requirements for all operations greater than 180 minutes.
(1) The FAA grants approval only to certificate holders with
existing 180-minute ETOPS operating authority for the
airplane-engine combination to be operated.
(2) The certificate holder must have previous ETOPS experience
satisfactory to the Administrator.
(3) In selecting ETOPS Alternate Airports, the operator must
make every effort to plan ETOPS with maximum diversion distances of
180 minutes or less, if possible. If conditions necessitate using
an ETOPS Alternate Airport beyond 180 minutes, the route may be
flown only if the requirements for the specific operating area in
paragraph (h) or (i) of section I of this appendix are met.
(4) The certificate holder must inform the flight crew each time
an airplane is proposed for dispatch for greater than 180 minutes
and tell them why the route was selected.
(5) In addition to the equipment specified in the certificate
holder's MEL for 180-minute ETOPS, the following systems must be
operational for dispatch:
(i) The fuel quantity indicating system.
(ii) The APU (including electrical and pneumatic supply and
operating to the APU's designed capability).
(iii) The auto throttle system.
(iv) The communication system required by § 121.99(d) or §
121.122(c), as applicable.
(v) One-engine-inoperative auto-land capability, if flight
planning is predicated on its use.
(6) The certificate holder must operate in accordance with the
ETOPS authority as contained in its operations specifications.
(7) The certificate holder must comply with the maintenance
program requirements of § 121.374.
(h) 207-minute ETOPS in the North Pacific Area of
Operations. (1) The FAA grants approval to conduct ETOPS with
maximum diversion times up to 207 minutes in the North Pacific Area
of Operations as an extension to 180-minute ETOPS authority to be
used on an exception basis. This exception may be used only on a
flight-by-flight basis when an ETOPS Alternate Airport is not
available within 180 minutes for reasons such as political or
military concerns; volcanic activity; temporary airport conditions;
and airport weather below dispatch requirements or other weather
related events.
(2) The nearest available ETOPS Alternate Airport within 207
minutes diversion time must be specified in the dispatch or flight
release.
(3) In conducting such a flight the certificate holder must
consider Air Traffic Service's preferred track.
(4) The airplane-engine combination must be type-design-approved
for ETOPS of at least 180 minutes. The approved time for the
airplane's most limiting ETOPS significant system and most limiting
cargo-fire suppression time for those cargo and baggage
compartments required by regulation to have fire-suppression
systems must be at least 222 minutes.
(5) The certificate holder must track how many times 207-minute
authority is used.
(i) 240-minute ETOPS in the North Polar Area, in the area
north of the NOPAC, and in the Pacific Ocean north of the
equator. (1) The FAA grants approval to conduct 240-minute
ETOPS authority with maximum diversion times in the North Polar
Area, in the area north of the NOPAC area, and the Pacific Ocean
area north of the equator as an extension to 180-minute ETOPS
authority to be used on an exception basis. This exception may be
used only on a flight-by-flight basis when an ETOPS Alternate
Airport is not available within 180 minutes. In that case, the
nearest available ETOPS Alternate Airport within 240 minutes
diversion time must be specified in the dispatch or flight
release.
(2) This exception may be used in the North Polar Area and in
the area north of NOPAC only in extreme conditions particular to
these areas such as volcanic activity, extreme cold weather at
en-route airports, airport weather below dispatch requirements,
temporary airport conditions, and other weather related events. The
criteria used by the certificate holder to decide that extreme
weather precludes using an airport must be established by the
certificate holder, accepted by the FAA, and published in the
certificate holder's manual for the use of dispatchers and
pilots.
(3) This exception may be used in the Pacific Ocean area north
of the equator only for reasons such as political or military
concern, volcanic activity, airport weather below dispatch
requirements, temporary airport conditions and other weather
related events.
(4) The airplane-engine combination must be type design approved
for ETOPS greater than 180 minutes.
(j) 240-minute ETOPS in areas South of the equator. (1)
The FAA grants approval to conduct ETOPS with maximum diversion
times of up to 240 minutes in the following areas:
(i) Pacific oceanic areas between the U.S. West coast and
Australia, New Zealand and Polynesia.
(ii) South Atlantic oceanic areas.
(iii) Indian Ocean areas.
(iv) Oceanic areas between Australia and South America.
(2) The operator must designate the nearest available ETOPS
Alternate Airports along the planned route of flight.
(3) The airplane-engine combination must be type-design-approved
for ETOPS greater than 180 minutes.
(k) ETOPS beyond 240 minutes. (1) The FAA grants approval
to conduct ETOPS with diversion times beyond 240 minutes for
operations between specified city pairs on routes in the following
areas:
(i) The Pacific oceanic areas between the U.S. west coast and
Australia, New Zealand, and Polynesia;
(ii) The South Atlantic oceanic areas;
(iii) The Indian Oceanic areas; and
(iv) The oceanic areas between Australia and South America, and
the South Polar Area.
(2) This approval is granted to certificate holders who have
been operating under 180-minute or greater ETOPS authority for at
least 24 consecutive months, of which at least 12 consecutive
months must be under 240-minute ETOPS authority with the
airplane-engine combination to be used.
(3) The operator must designate the nearest available ETOPS
alternate or alternates along the planned route of flight.
(4) For these operations, the airplane-engine combination must
be type-design-approved for ETOPS greater than 180 minutes.
Section II. ETOPS Approval: Passenger-carrying Airplanes With
More Than Two Engines.
(a) The FAA grants approval to conduct ETOPS, as follows:
(1) Except as provided in § 121.162, the airplane-engine
combination must be type-design-approved for ETOPS.
(2) The operator must designate the nearest available ETOPS
Alternate Airports within 240 minutes diversion time (at
one-engine-inoperative cruise speed under standard conditions in
still air). If an ETOPS alternate is not available within 240
minutes, the operator must designate the nearest available ETOPS
Alternate Airports along the planned route of flight.
(3) The MEL limitations for the authorized ETOPS diversion time
apply.
(i) The Fuel Quantity Indicating System must be operational.
(ii) The communications systems required by § 121.99(d) or §
121.122(c) must be operational.
(4) The certificate holder must operate in accordance with the
ETOPS authority as contained in its operations specifications.
Section III. Approvals for operations whose airplane routes
are planned to traverse either the North Polar or South Polar
Areas.
(a) Except for intrastate operations within the State of Alaska,
no certificate holder may operate an aircraft in the North Polar
Area or South Polar Area, unless authorized by the FAA.
(b) In addition to any of the applicable requirements of
sections I and II of this appendix, the certificate holder's
operations specifications must contain the following:
(1) The designation of airports that may be used for en-route
diversions and the requirements the airports must meet at the time
of diversion.
(2) Except for supplemental all-cargo operations, a recovery
plan for passengers at designated diversion airports.
(3) A fuel-freeze strategy and procedures for monitoring fuel
freezing.
(4) A plan to ensure communication capability for these
operations.
(5) An MEL for these operations.
(6) A training plan for operations in these areas.
(7) A plan for mitigating crew exposure to radiation during
solar flare activity.
(8) A plan for providing at least two cold weather anti-exposure
suits in the aircraft, to protect crewmembers during outside
activity at a diversion airport with extreme climatic conditions.
The FAA may relieve the certificate holder from this requirement if
the season of the year makes the equipment unnecessary.
[Doc. No. FAA-2002-6717, 72 FR 1883, Jan. 16, 2007, as amended by
Docket FAA-2018-0119, Amdt. 121-380, 83 FR 9173, Mar. 5, 2018]