Australia ACMA Aircraft Class Licence Remake Consultation

Australia: ACMA Consults on Remaking the Aircraft and Aeronautical Mobile Stations Class Licence 2016

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has opened a public consultation on remaking the Radiocommunications (Aircraft and Aeronautical Mobile Stations) Class Licence 2016. The consultation opened on 9 June 2026 and submissions are invited until 21 July 2026. The proposal continues ACMA's program of reviewing legislative instruments approaching their statutory sunset date and remaking those that remain fit for purpose.

Regulatory Context

Under Australia's sunsetting framework, legislative instruments automatically expire after a set period unless they are remade. The Aircraft and Aeronautical Mobile Stations Class Licence 2016 is one of a group of ACMA class licences from that vintage now moving through scheduled review. In line with its standard approach to comparable 2016 instruments, ACMA's position is that the class licence continues to operate effectively and that it should be revoked and remade with only minor changes rather than allowed to lapse or be substantially redesigned.

A class licence is distinct from an apparatus licence. It authorises an entire category of users to operate specified equipment under common conditions, with no individual application, allocation, or fee. Remaking the instrument preserves this licence-free arrangement for the aviation sector and avoids any regulatory gap at sunset.

Technical Scope of the Class Licence

The existing class licence authorises the use of mobile radio equipment that is fixed to, or carried on board, an aircraft, and the use of equipment on the ground on standard aviation frequencies. Its coverage extends to recreational and hobby aircraft, including ultralights, trikes, hang gliders, paragliders, gyrocopters, gliders, sailplanes, and balloons.

Operation under the licence is subject to defined conditions, including the requirement to hold the relevant Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) certification, to use appropriate call signs, and to operate on the frequencies specified in the instrument. Equipment used under the class licence must comply with ACMA's technical standards, including the general radiocommunications standards, the electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) standard, and the electromagnetic energy (EME) standard. Equipment that does not meet these rules requires a permit to be supplied, used, or possessed. Satellite frequencies on aircraft and emergency locating devices are governed by separate companion class licences.

What This Means for Manufacturers

For manufacturers and importers of aeronautical mobile radio equipment, the remake is expected to be low disruption. Because ACMA proposes only minor changes, the underlying compliance pathway, conformity with the general radiocommunications, EMC, and EME standards and the supplier-side equipment rules, is unlikely to change materially.

The practical priority is confirmation rather than re-engineering. Manufacturers should:

• Review the draft remade instrument for any adjustment to authorised frequency bands, technical conditions, or definitions that could affect equipment specifications or labelling.

• Verify that products remain aligned with the applicable ACMA technical standards referenced by the class licence.

• Confirm that the remake does not alter the boundary between equipment covered by this class licence and equipment falling under the companion space-object or emergency-locating-device class licences.

• Use the consultation window to raise any concern where draft wording could be read as narrowing or restricting currently authorised equipment.

  
  

Absent a change to the technical standards themselves, existing type approvals and conformity assessments for compliant aeronautical equipment should carry over to the remade instrument.

Certification Impact Summary

Area	Current position	Expected impact of remake
Licensing model	Licence-free class licence; no application or fee	Preserved
Equipment standards	General radiocommunications, EMC and EME standards apply	No material change expected (minor changes only)
Frequency authorisation	Standard aviation frequencies per the instrument	Confirm against draft for any adjustment
CASA certification	Required to operate equipment	Preserved
Permits for non-compliant equipment	Required to supply, use or possess	Preserved
Existing type approvals	Valid against current standards	Expected to carry over

Timeline and Required Actions

1. 9 June 2026: Consultation opens. ACMA publishes the proposal, consultation paper, and draft remade class licence.

2. 9 June – 21 July 2026: Review window. Manufacturers, importers, and regulatory affairs teams review the draft against current product compliance and identify any impact on authorised frequencies or technical conditions.

3. By 21 July 2026: Submit comments. Lodge submissions via the consultation page (upload submission) or by the postal details in the consultation paper. This is the only window to influence the final wording.

4. Before sunset: Remake finalised. ACMA considers submissions and makes the remade class licence ahead of the statutory sunset date, with a commencement date to be confirmed in the final instrument.

5. On commencement: Confirm continuity. Verify that compliant equipment and existing approvals remain valid under the remade instrument; update internal compliance records to reference the new instrument title and year.

   
   

Market Significance

The remake itself is administrative, but it matters as a continuity event. Aviation radio equipment in Australia depends on this class licence for licence free operation, and a clean remake removes any risk of authorisation lapsing at sunset. For manufacturers and importers, the consultation is the appropriate moment to confirm that nothing in the draft narrows existing authorisations and to flag concerns while the text is still open. It also signals that ACMA's broader 2016 class-licence review program remains on schedule, with related instruments moving through the same process.