Overview
The Civil Aviation Legislation Amendment (Minor Changes) Regulations 2026 made a series of technical updates to Australian aviation rules. The regulations were in force from 29 June 2026 to 29 September 2026 and are no longer active. They amended both the Civil Aviation Regulations 1988 and the Civil Aviation Safety Regulations 1998, and are administered by the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts under the Civil Aviation Act 1988.
What the Regulations Covered
The amendments addressed four areas:
- Flight crew licensing - technical updates to the rules governing flight crew licences.
- Certificates for restricted category aircraft - changes to the process for issuing certificates for restricted category aircraft.
- Large remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) and airworthiness certificates - updates affecting large RPA and related airworthiness certificate requirements.
- Self-study pathway for aircraft engineer licences - introduction of a self-study pathway for removing exclusions from aircraft engineer licences.
Period of Operation
These regulations applied for a three-month period only. The instrument was in force from 29 June 2026 to 29 September 2026 and is no longer active.
Key Actions
Flight crew licences, aircraft engineer licences, and large RPA operations
The regulations state that holders of a flight crew licence, aircraft engineer licence, or operators of large remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) can review the full text of the regulations at https://www.legislation.gov.au/F2026L00846 to check whether the changes affected their licence conditions or certificate requirements during the period 29 June 2026 to 29 September 2026.
Restricted category aircraft certificates
Operators of restricted category aircraft who obtained a certificate during the period 29 June 2026 to 29 September 2026 are able to confirm with CASA that their certificate was issued under the correct rules as amended by this instrument.
Self-study pathway for aircraft engineer licences
The regulations are no longer in force. Those who were pursuing a self-study pathway to remove an exclusion from an aircraft engineer licence can check with CASA whether this pathway is captured under successor regulations - contact CASA at https://www.casa.gov.au.
This is a plain-English summary for information only, not legal or compliance advice. Always check the official source or consult a qualified professional.