In August 2026, the South African Government Gazette published Government Notice 7845 in Gazette 55226, the Thirty-Sixth Amendment of the Civil Aviation Regulations made under the Civil Aviation Act. The amendment activates the Condition Monitoring Programme (CMP) set out in SA-CATS 43 Appendix 3 under Parts 91 and 43, restoring a lawful on-condition maintenance pathway for privately operated, type-certificated piston general aviation aircraft.
The Gazette publication closes an anticipated gap. After the withdrawal of Aeronautical Information Circular (AIC) 18.9, privately operated piston aircraft had no compliant instrument to continue on-condition maintenance; the Thirty-Sixth Amendment supplies it. The Department of Transport flagged the promulgation as a priority at its 5 August 2026 meeting with industry bodies including CAASA and the Aero Club of South Africa, and the sector had been awaiting the Gazette since. The Thirty-Fourth Amendment, which sets civil aviation fees, is already in force.
What does the Thirty-Sixth Amendment change?
The amendment brings SA-CATS 43 Appendix 3 (the Condition Monitoring Programme) into force under Part 91 (General Operating and Flight Rules) and Part 43 (Maintenance). It establishes the regulatory basis for condition-based maintenance of privately operated, type-certificated piston aircraft, replacing the withdrawn AIC 18.9 framework. Under on-condition maintenance, components remain in service based on monitored condition rather than fixed-life replacement, provided the CMP's inspection, monitoring and recording requirements are met.
Who must comply, and from when?
The directly affected population is owners and operators of privately operated, type-certificated piston general aviation aircraft in South Africa, together with the Approved Maintenance Organisations (AMOs) that maintain them. The amendment is gazetted and in force; operators relying on on-condition maintenance must now conduct that maintenance under the CMP rather than the withdrawn AIC 18.9. Commercial air transport operators, which fly under Part 121 with their own approved maintenance programmes, are not the primary subject of this instrument.
How does the Condition Monitoring Programme work in practice?
The CMP under SA-CATS 43 Appendix 3 requires a structured condition-monitoring regime: defined inspection intervals, condition-monitoring parameters for affected components, AMO oversight and maintenance-release recording. An AMO approved for the work must perform or certify the condition assessments, and operators must keep the monitoring records that justify continued on-condition service. In effect, the amendment preserves the operational flexibility of on-condition maintenance for the private piston fleet while lodging it in the formal Civil Aviation Regulations rather than in a circular.
What is the transition for aircraft already on condition?
Because AIC 18.9 has been withdrawn and the CMP under SA-CATS 43 Appendix 3 is now in force, there is no window in which on-condition maintenance of the affected fleet lacks a legal basis, provided maintenance is conducted under the new appendix. Operators should treat the next scheduled maintenance event as the transition point: have the AMO record condition assessments and the maintenance release against Appendix 3, and retire references to AIC 18.9 in the aircraft's maintenance records. The amendment does not impose a new fixed-life regime; it preserves on-condition maintenance inside the regulations.
| Aspect | AIC 18.9 (withdrawn) | SA-CATS 43 Appendix 3 CMP (in force) |
|---|---|---|
| Instrument type | Aeronautical Information Circular | Subordinate regulation under the Civil Aviation Act |
| Legal status | Guidance, not the regulations | Part of the Civil Aviation Regulations |
| Maintenance basis | On-condition via circular | On-condition under a regulated CMP |
| Oversight | Circular-based | AMO-approved, recorded under Parts 91 and 43 |
The amendment text is published by the South African Government; the notice landing page carries the English and Afrikaans versions of Government Notice 7845.
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Next steps for affected operators: confirm whether your aircraft falls within CMP scope (privately operated, type-certificated piston); instruct your AMO to conduct on-condition maintenance under SA-CATS 43 Appendix 3 rather than the withdrawn AIC 18.9; update your maintenance programme records and monitoring data; and brief maintenance staff on the new recording requirements.
