The new edition consolidates scattered changes
EASA has published the new consolidated edition of the Easy Access Rules for Air Operations (EAR Air Ops), integrating all updates to Regulation 965/2012 and its subsequent amendments. The edition is significant because it closes several interpretive gaps that had been generating uncertainty among operators and national authorities for years.
Three material changes
FRMS (Fatigue Risk Management System). The new edition consolidates the criteria governing FRMS programmes, including minimum rest thresholds for cabin crew on long-haul operations and the conditions for authorising operational exceptions. Operators already holding approved FRMS programmes should review whether their criteria remain aligned.
EFB (Electronic Flight Bag). The clarifications regarding Class B and Class C devices are significant. The authority has refined the requirements for software change management, the operator approval procedures and the documentation to be maintained in the OM-A. Operators using EFB on a daily basis may need to revise their manual.
Single-pilot commercial operations. The new edition delineates in greater detail which single-pilot operations are admissible under CAT.OP.MPA and what additional requirements apply. There are clarifications on medical evacuation operations and mountainous terrain that affect VIP and specialised charter operators.
What stays the same
The structural principles of 965/2012 remain unchanged. The system of parts (Part-CAT, Part-NCC, Part-NCO, Part-SPO) remains intact. The consolidated edition is a clarity upgrade, not a structural reform.
Recommendation
For commercial operators holding a Spanish AOC, the minimum step is to read the revised introductions to each part and perform a change-control exercise on the OM-A to detect where the manual cites rules under their former wording. National authorities will have room to interpret matters over the next 12 months; entering that period with an updated manual avoids unnecessary findings at the next audit.