UK CAA and Transport Canada Implement Reciprocal FFS Evaluation Framework

United Kingdom & Canada – The UK Civil Aviation Authority (UK CAA) and Transport Canada Civil Aviation (TCCA) have brought new Simulator Implementation Procedures (SIP) into operation, establishing reciprocal acceptance of Full Flight Simulator qualification-evaluation findings. The framework is intended to reduce duplicated regulatory evaluation work for eligible simulator operators maintaining both UK CAA and TCCA qualifications.

• Full Flight Simulators at Levels A, B, C and D are eligible where the device is located in either Canada or the United Kingdom and already holds qualifications issued by both TCCA and the UK CAA. The current scope does not extend to simulators located outside the two countries.
• The procedures currently focus on recurrent evaluations and continuing qualification. Under the arrangement, either authority can use findings produced by the other as the basis for qualification under its own requirements, with the resulting qualification permitted at a level equal to or lower than that established by the authority conducting the evaluation.
• For FFS operators holding both approvals, this enables a UK CAA evaluation of an eligible simulator in the UK to support continued TCCA qualification, while a TCCA evaluation of an eligible device in Canada can support continued UK CAA qualification. Each authority remains responsible for issuing its own qualification decision.
• The UK CAA and TCCA signed the procedures on June 16, 2026. The SIP sits under the wider Working Arrangement for the Promotion of Aviation Safety between the two authorities, originally signed in January 2021 and amended in November 2024. The UK CAA subsequently confirmed September 15 as the operational date.
• The two regulators will coordinate recurrent evaluation schedules, including establishing common anniversary dates where appropriate. The procedures allow mutually agreed evaluation intervals of between 12 and 36 months, while each authority must normally provide the other with at least 30 days' notice before an evaluation.
• The arrangement does not prevent either regulator from conducting its own independent evaluation or re-evaluation at any time. Joint evaluations can also be conducted where both authorities agree, retaining direct regulatory oversight where required.
• AFM previously reported that the UK CAA and US Federal Aviation Administration updated their own Simulator Implementation Procedures in 2022, similarly allowing the two authorities to share simulator evaluation and acceptance activity in order to reduce duplicated regulatory work. The new Canadian arrangement extends this bilateral regulatory approach to eligible UK- and Canada-based FFSs.
• Technical conditions remain applicable under each regulator's national requirements. For UK-based devices evaluated on behalf of TCCA, the UK CAA must verify items including qualification documentation, recurrent-evaluation records and cockpit/instructor operating station compatibility with Canadian units of measure. For Canadian devices evaluated on behalf of the UK CAA, TCCA must verify the UK qualification dossier and that simulator settings can support applicable European metric standards. 

Source: Transport Canada Civil Aviation / UK Civil Aviation Authority