309 

Federal Aviation Administration, DOT 

Pt. 121, App. P 

Ocean area north of the equator as an exten-
sion to 180-minute ETOPS authority to be 
used on an exception basis. This exception 
may be used only on a flight-by-flight basis 
when an ETOPS Alternate Airport is not 
available within 180 minutes. In that case, 
the nearest available ETOPS Alternate Air-
port within 240 minutes diversion time must 
be specified in the dispatch or flight release. 

(2) This exception may be used in the 

North Polar Area and in the area north of 
NOPAC only in extreme conditions par-
ticular to these areas such as volcanic activ-
ity, extreme cold weather at en-route air-
ports, airport weather below dispatch re-
quirements, temporary airport conditions, 
and other weather related events. The cri-
teria used by the certificate holder to decide 
that extreme weather precludes using an air-
port must be established by the certificate 
holder, accepted by the FAA, and published 
in the certificate holder’s manual for the use 
of dispatchers and pilots. 

(3) This exception may be used in the Pa-

cific Ocean area north of the equator only 
for reasons such as political or military con-
cern, volcanic activity, airport weather 
below dispatch requirements, temporary air-
port conditions and other weather related 
events. 

(4) The airplane-engine combination must 

be type design approved for ETOPS greater 
than 180 minutes. 

(j) 

240-minute ETOPS in areas South of the 

equator. 

(1) The FAA grants approval to con-

duct ETOPS with maximum diversion times 
of up to 240 minutes in the following areas: 

(i) Pacific oceanic areas between the U.S. 

West coast and Australia, New Zealand and 
Polynesia. 

(ii) South Atlantic oceanic areas. 
(iii) Indian Ocean areas. 
(iv) Oceanic areas between Australia and 

South America. 

(2) The operator must designate the near-

est available ETOPS Alternate Airports 
along the planned route of flight. 

(3) The airplane-engine combination must 

be type-design-approved for ETOPS greater 
than 180 minutes. 

(k) 

ETOPS beyond 240 minutes. 

(1) The FAA 

grants approval to conduct ETOPS with di-
version times beyond 240 minutes for oper-
ations between specified city pairs on routes 
in the following areas: 

(i) The Pacific oceanic areas between the 

U.S. west coast and Australia, New Zealand, 
and Polynesia; 

(ii) The South Atlantic oceanic areas; 
(iii) The Indian Oceanic areas; and 
(iv) The oceanic areas between Australia 

and South America, and the South Polar 
Area. 

(2) This approval is granted to certificate 

holders who have been operating under 180- 
minute or greater ETOPS authority for at 
least 24 consecutive months, of which at 

least 12 consecutive months must be under 
240-minute ETOPS authority with the air-
plane-engine combination to be used. 

(3) The operator must designate the near-

est available ETOPS alternate or alternates 
along the planned route of flight. 

(4) For these operations, the airplane-en-

gine combination must be type-design-ap-
proved for ETOPS greater than 180 minutes. 

Section II. 

ETOPS Approval: Passenger-car-

rying Airplanes With More Than Two Engines. 

(a) The FAA grants approval to conduct 

ETOPS, as follows: 

(1) Except as provided in § 121.162, the air-

plane-engine combination must be type-de-
sign-approved for ETOPS. 

(2) The operator must designate the near-

est available ETOPS Alternate Airports 
within 240 minutes diversion time (at one-en-
gine-inoperative cruise speed under standard 
conditions in still air). If an ETOPS alter-
nate is not available within 240 minutes, the 
operator must designate the nearest avail-
able ETOPS Alternate Airports along the 
planned route of flight. 

(3) The MEL limitations for the authorized 

ETOPS diversion time apply. 

(i) The Fuel Quantity Indicating System 

must be operational. 

(ii) The communications systems required 

by § 121.99(d) or § 121.122(c) must be oper-
ational. 

(4) The certificate holder must operate in 

accordance with the ETOPS authority as 
contained in its operations specifications. 

Section III. 

Approvals for operations whose 

airplane routes are planned to traverse either 
the North Polar or South Polar Areas. 

(a) Except for intrastate operations within 

the State of Alaska, no certificate holder 
may operate an aircraft in the North Polar 
Area or South Polar Area, unless authorized 
by the FAA. 

(b) In addition to any of the applicable re-

quirements of sections I and II of this appen-
dix, the certificate holder’s operations speci-
fications must contain the following: 

(1) The designation of airports that may be 

used for en-route diversions and the require-
ments the airports must meet at the time of 
diversion. 

(2) Except for supplemental all-cargo oper-

ations, a recovery plan for passengers at des-
ignated diversion airports. 

(3) A fuel-freeze strategy and procedures 

for monitoring fuel freezing. 

(4) A plan to ensure communication capa-

bility for these operations. 

(5) An MEL for these operations. 
(6) A training plan for operations in these 

areas. 

(7) A plan for mitigating crew exposure to 

radiation during solar flare activity. 

(8) A plan for providing at least two cold 

weather anti-exposure suits in the aircraft, 
to protect crewmembers during outside ac-
tivity at a diversion airport with extreme 

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