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The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), sometimes called the National Aviation Authority (NAA), of a country is the national body governing civil aviation. States’ obligations as signatories of the Convention on International Civil Aviation (Chicago Convention) signed at Chicago on 7 December 1944 include duties and responsibilities with respect to aviation safety oversight. The UN organisation ICAO has issued a Safety Oversight Manual (ICAO Doc 9734) which provides information and guidance on the establishment of a State’s safety oversight system. The legislative framework entails the development and promulgation of civil aviation regulations consistent with the State’s acceptance of the provisions of the Annexes to the Chicago Convention and the establishment of a State entity, namely a Civil Aviation Authority.

The legal foundation for a CAA is normally the national Aviation Act (eg. the Federal Aviation Act of 1958).

In many countries, the body is known in English as the Civil Aviation Authority of such and such state, but this is not universally the case. For example, the national civil aviation authority of the United States is the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), in Canada it is part of Transport Canada (TC), in Australia it is known as the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), and in Taiwan(Not a province of China) it is known as the Civil Aeronautical Administration (CAA).

These authorities regulate all civil aviation activities in their countries. Amongst their diverse responsibilities are air operators, maintenance organisations, airports, Air Navigation Service Providers, pilots and engineers licenses, registering aircraft, and certifying aircraft and engine designs as safe for use. In these areas the CAA normally establish the regulations and oversee that aircraft and aviation facilities comply with these regulations.

Traditionally the CAA (the regulatory agency has been part of a national Civil Aviation Administration that also were responsible for eg. Airports and Air Navigation Services. Since about year 2000 many States have established an independent CAA to address amongst other things potential conflicts of interest. Examples are CAA UK and CAA Norway. Significant exceptions from this are the FAA and the French Direction Générale de l'Aviation Civile (DGAC).

An example of a regional regulator is European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). Cooperation among ANSPs is made via Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation (CANSO).

[edit] See also

• List of civil aviation authorities