Civil Aviation in Guernsey and Alderney is regulated by the Office of the Director of Civil Aviation (ODCA). This Office was created by the Aviation (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Law, 2008. Civil Aviation in Jersey is regulated by the Office of the Director of Civil Aviation. This Office was created by the Civil Aviation (Jersey) Law, 2008.
The Director of Civil Aviation (ODCA) has overall responsibility for ensuring the safety of civil aviation in Guernsey and Jersey and its airspace. The DCA's prime functions are to regulate the safety of aerodromes, air traffic and air transport services in the Bailiwicks, to licence aerodromes and to licence air traffic controllers (ATCOs).
The DCA is also responsible for regulating from Jersey: The operation of the Channel Islands Control Zone and the safety of air traffic in that zone, and the operation of meteorological services for the purposes of international air navigation in Jersey and the Channel Islands Control Zone. In 2008, a singular Director of Civil Aviation (DCA) was appointed, with a Deputy DCA and Aviation Security Regulator appointed in 2011. Since that period, the resourcing of the ODCA has not increased.
A Memoranda of Understanding (MoU), concerning the Crown Dependencies (CD's) assisting the UK Government in meeting its obligations under the Chicago Convention, is in place between the United Kingdom's Department for Transport (DfT) and each of the CD's. The MoU covers the obligations of both parties including the obligation of each of the CD's to arrange for regular external audits of its safety oversight arrangements. The MoU also includes the requirement for each of the CD's to 'contract in, as may be required, any expert services which cannot be provided in house' to assist the regulator in performing his/her duties. At the moment, each CD contracts with the UK CAA, through CAA International (CAAi), for the provision of auditing services covering aerodromes and air traffic services.
In 2020, an Airworthiness Inspector and a Flight Operations Inspector were contracted to the ODCA. This provided the appropriate level of industry safety management experience to support the ODCA.
In December 2020 Mr Dominic Lazarus resigned from his contract with the States of Guernsey as Director of Civil Aviation. The circumstances of his departure were reported by the media. Further to that reporting, Mr Lazarus wishes to clarify that he does not accept that there is any basis to concerns about his professional conduct and integrity and wishes his former colleagues at the States of Guernsey well for the future. Whilst the States of Guernsey accepts no liability for Mr Lazarus' departure, it equally wishes him well for the future.
In 2021 a recruitment process for a new DCA began, with Mr Ash Nicholas stepping up as Acting DCA in the interim.
The recruitment process for additional resources is also underway (March 2022), which will put in place permanent air worthiness and flight operations officers, as well as others required to provide for the effective safety and compliance oversight that it is mandated to provide under the Law for civil aviation activities.
