Permission to Operate Charter Flights to or from Hong Kong

The Air Transport (Licensing of Air Services) Regulations require that any person wishing to operate charter flights to or from Hong Kong must obtain a permit from the Director-General of Civil Aviation. Permit application forms are available from the Civil Aviation Department Headquarters at 46/F Queensway Government Offices, 66 Queensway, Hong Kong. Completed applications must be submitted to the Director-General of Civil Aviation (fax no. (852) 2877 8542) at least 3 working days (2 weeks should be allowed for processing of new or infrequent operators) before the anticipated arrival/departure date of the flight in Hong Kong.

Before consideration can be given to an application for such a permit, the following information and documents are required:

1. An application for permission (DCA122 form) to operate non-scheduled services;

2. A valid air operator's certificate or equivalent document to indicate type of aircraft authorized, area(s) of operations, and type(s) of services authorized;

3. Current Certificate of Airworthiness, and Certificate of Registration of the aircraft to be used;

4. The aerodrome operating minima to be used at the Hong Kong International Airport together with the instructions relating to the application of those minima;

5. Noise certificates to show that aircraft complies with ICAO Annex 16 Volume I Part II Chapter 3 noise standard ;

6. Information as to how the pilot's route and airport qualification is to be established for Hong Kong;

7. Insurance Certificate that insures the operator in respect of any liability which may be incurred by him/her in respect of Third Party, Passenger, Baggage, Cargo, and Mail for any one event to a Combined Single Limit required in accordance with the Civil Aviation (Insurance) Order; and

8. Confirmation on whether the aircraft is equipped with TCAS II, and has full navigational capability and sufficient fuel to divert to alternate airfield.

Additional requirements will apply if a leased aircraft is to be used.

In addition to the above general requirements, the following additional information will be required for each charter application:

1. Details of the proposed charter flight (i.e. the type of charter to be operated, the proposed operating schedule which has been cleared with the Hong Kong Scheduling Coordinator, etc.); and

2. Justification for the charter flight.

Applications for the operation of charter flights for the carriage of passengers or cargo to or from Hong Kong will normally be approved if the Director-General of Civil Aviation is satisfied that the applicant has reasonably demonstrated that corresponding scheduled services cannot satisfy a genuine demand by providing the service or capacity required and, in the case of applications made by airlines based outside Hong Kong, that the government of the country in which the airline is based would afford no less favorable treatment to a Hong Kong based airline making a similar application.

Applications for the operation of charter flights for the carriage of both passengers and cargo will not normally be considered.

Detail application procedure for non-scheduled air services could be found in Section GEN 1.2 of Hong Kong AIP.

Clearance to Operate Private Non-revenue Flights to and from Hong Kong

Prior clearance from the Director-General of Civil Aviation is required for the operation of private non-revenue flights to and from Hong Kong. Applications should be sent to the Director-General of Civil Aviation at 46/F Queensway Government Offices, 66 Queensway, Hong Kong (fax no. (852) 2877 8542, telex 61361 CADHK HX, AFTN VHHHYAYX) at least 3 working days before the anticipated arrival/departure date of the flight in Hong Kong. No application form is required, but the following information should be provided:

1. Type of aircraft;

2. Nationality and registration marks of the aircraft;

3. Name of operator;

4. Name of ground handling agent in Hong Kong;

5. Proposed dates and times of arrival and departure;

6. Confirmation that there will be no fare-paying passengers or commercial cargo on board;

7. Insurance Certificate that insures the operator in respect of any liability which may be incurred by him/her in respect of Third Party, Passenger, Baggage, Cargo, and Mail for any one event to a Combined Single Limit required in accordance with the Civil Aviation (Insurance) Order;

8. Noise Certificate to show that aircraft complies with ICAO Annex 16 Volume I Part II Chapter 3 noise standard; and

9. Confirmation that the aircraft has full navigational capability and will carry sufficient fuel to divert to its alternate airfield from overhead Hong Kong

An application must be submitted to the Director-General of Civil Aviation at least 3 working days before the anticipated arrival/departure date of the flight in Hong Kong. However, it is advisable for non-frequent or new operators to submit their applications at least 2 weeks prior to the date of operation to allow sufficient time for processing their applications.