Cap. 641 Art. 12Conditionsrelating to national certificates of airworthiness.

(1) An aircraft registered in Malta, in respect of which a national certificate of airworthiness has been issued by the Directorate, shall:

(a) be managed, in so far as its continuing airworthiness is concerned, by an appropriately approved continuing airworthiness management organisation referred to in article 21 or other authorised person complying with the specific requirements issued by the Directorate under article 5;

(b) be maintained in accordance with a maintenance schedule or maintenance programme approved by the Director General in relation to that aircraft, its engines, parts and equipment;

(c) in the case of an aircraft with a national certificate of airworthiness, which has a maximum total weight authorised of two thousand seven hundred and thirty kilograms (2,730kg) or less and which is not a commercial air transport aircraft or a public transport aircraft, be maintained in accordance with a maintenance programme declared by the owner of the aircraft in accordance with guidance issued by the Directorate;

(d) in the case of a used aircraft, be subjected to an airworthiness review to be performed by either one of the following:

(i) the Directorate;

(ii) an approved continuing airworthiness management organisation; or

(iii) an authorised person complying with any specific requirements made by the Directorate under article 5.

(2) Where a national certificate of airworthiness has been issued by the Directorate in respect of an aircraft, that aircraft must:

(a) comply with any requirements issued by the Directorate under article 5;

(b) comply with any operations or airworthiness directive issued under article 13 made mandatory by the Directorate following satisfactory completion and certification of an inspection, maintenance or modification carried out in respect of that aircraft;

(c) comply with any measures ordered by the Director General in an immediate reaction to a safety problem.

(3) A national certificate of airworthiness issued in accordance with sub-article (1) shall be valid for a period to be indicated by the Director General.

(4) If the Director General has issued a national certificate of airworthiness for an aircraft which, in his opinion, is a prototype aircraft or a modification of a prototype aircraft, he may dispense with flying trials in the case of any other aircraft if he is satisfied that the other aircraft conforms to such prototype or modification.

(5) Every national certificate of airworthiness shall specify the purpose for which the aircraft may be flown, and shall further specify such categories as are, in the opinion of the Director General, appropriate to the aircraft in accordance with Schedule 3, and the certificate shall be issued subject to the condition that the aircraft shall be flown only for the purposes indicated in the said Schedule in relation to those categories.

(6) The Director General may issue a national certificate of airworthiness subject to such other conditions he deems appropriate relating to the airworthiness of the aircraft.

(7) The Director General may, subject to such conditions as he deems fit, issue a certificate of validation rendering valid for the purposes of this Act the national certificate of airworthiness of an aircraft issued under the law of any country other than Malta, after he has verified that the certificate of airworthiness was issued in accordance with the law of that other country and that the aircraft presently observes the conditions contained within that certificate.