General Aviation Security Rules

Chapter 1 General Provisions

Article 1 These Rules are formulated in accordance with the Counter-Terrorism Law of the People's Republic of China and the Civil Aviation Security Regulations of the People's Republic of China to prevent unlawful interference against general aviation activities and to standardize general aviation security (hereinafter referred to as security) work.

Article 2 These Rules apply to general aviation activities carried out within the territory of the People's Republic of China by general aviation aircraft operators (hereinafter referred to as operators) legally established in China, excluding activities using unmanned aircraft, as well as entities and individuals related to the aforementioned general aviation activities.

Article 3 General aviation security work shall adhere to the principles of combining delegation with regulation and promoting development, implementing classified and tiered management.

Article 4 The Civil Aviation Administration of China is responsible for the supervision and management of general aviation security work nationwide.

Regional Administrations of the Civil Aviation Administration of China are responsible for the supervision and management of general aviation security work within their respective jurisdictions.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China and its Regional Administrations are hereinafter collectively referred to as the civil aviation administrative authorities.

Article 5 Unless otherwise provided in Chapter 4 of these Rules, operators bear the primary responsibility for general aviation security work.

Chapter 2 Security Requirements for Operators

Section 1 Aviation Security Organization and Aviation Security Program

Article 6 Operators shall formulate an aviation security program in accordance with these Rules.

Operators shall have an aviation security organization or a person responsible for aviation security to coordinate the implementation of the requirements of these Rules and the aviation security program.

Article 7 The aviation security program shall at least include the following contents:

(1) Basic information such as the categories of general aviation activities, aircraft types, and quantity;

(2) Information on the aviation security organization or person responsible for aviation security and relevant personnel;

(3) Specific aviation security measures formulated in accordance with these Rules;

(4) Information reporting and disposal procedures in emergencies.

The aviation security program of an operator engaged in commercial general aviation activities (hereinafter referred to as commercial operator) shall also include information on aviation security facilities and equipment.

Article 8 Operators shall promptly revise their aviation security program in the following circumstances to ensure its continued effectiveness:

(1) There is a significant change in the organization responsible for security work or its duties;

(2) A major security threat or security incident relevant to the operator occurs;

(3) Significant changes occur in aviation security laws, regulations, or standards;

(4) Other circumstances where revision is necessary.

Article 9 The aviation security program is a sensitive information document. It shall be numbered, registered, and properly stored.

The distribution and access scope of the aviation security program shall be limited only to organizations and personnel who need to know the relevant information to perform their duties.

Section 2 General Aviation Security Measures

Article 10 Operators shall conduct security training for relevant staff. Training records shall be kept for at least 2 years.

Article 11 Operators shall report relevant security information in accordance with the security information management regulations of the Civil Aviation Administration of China.

Article 12 During aircraft parking, operators shall take effective security measures in accordance with regulations to prevent unauthorized personnel or items from entering the aircraft.

Article 13 Operators shall inspect the aircraft before takeoff to see if it has been damaged or if unknown objects have been placed inside. Inspection records shall be kept for at least 90 days.

Section 3 Special Requirements for Commercial Operators

Article 14 Commercial operators shall conduct background checks on personnel relevant to security.

Article 15 Commercial operators carrying out general aviation activities shall comply with the requirements of the Catalogue of Prohibited and Restricted Items for General Aviation Activities (hereinafter referred to as the Catalogue).

Article 16 Commercial operators conducting passenger-carrying activities shall not transport passengers or items that are prohibited from transportation under relevant national regulations.

Article 17 Before conducting passenger-carrying activities, commercial operators shall verify, register, and report the identity information of boarding personnel.

Commercial operators shall conduct security checks on boarding personnel and their baggage and items in accordance with regulations, and implement security controls over checked personnel and their baggage and items to prevent them from mixing with unchecked personnel and their baggage and items before boarding.

Article 18 Before conducting activities such as aerial sightseeing, experience flights, or parachute jumping services, commercial operators shall verify, register, and report the identity information of boarding personnel.

Article 19 Before conducting cargo activities, commercial operators shall verify client identities, register client identity information and cargo information, and conduct security inspections on cargo to be loaded using methods such as instrument checks or physical inspection of opened packages.

Commercial operators shall take measures to implement security controls over cargo that has passed security inspection during ground storage and ground transportation, preventing them from mixing with unchecked personnel and cargo before loading.

Article 20 Boarding personnel identity registration information, security check information of boarding personnel and their baggage, client identity information, cargo information, and cargo security inspection information referred to in this Section shall be kept for at least 90 days.

Chapter 3 Security Requirements for Entrusted Security Services

Article 21 If an operator entrusts security services to a general aviation airport, fixed base operator, or other type of service provider, it shall sign a security agreement with the entrusted service provider, clearly defining the division of security responsibilities and specific security requirements between the parties.

Article 22 Commercial operators shall require the entrusted service provider to:

(1) Formulate and implement its own aviation security program in accordance with the requirements of Chapter 2 of these Rules;

(2) Have an aviation security organization or a person responsible for aviation security to coordinate the implementation of the requirements of the security agreement and the aviation security program;

(3) Be equipped with corresponding security facilities and equipment according to the scope of security services;

(4) Conduct background checks on security staff;

(5) Provide security training to security staff, with training records to be kept for at least 2 years.

Chapter 4 Special Requirements for General Aviation Activities at Transport Airports

Section 1 General Provisions

Article 23 Personnel, baggage, items, and cargo of general aviation activities landing at a transport airport shall not mix with commercial air transport within the airport control area.

Article 24 For personnel, baggage, items, and cargo of general aviation activities that need to enter the airport control area, the transport airport shall implement security checks at the level of commercial air transport.

If the transport airport has the conditions to designate a dedicated security check channel or an apron access point and ensures that items and personnel do not mix with commercial air transport after security checks, security checks on personnel and baggage of general aviation activities may also be carried out in accordance with the Catalogue.

Article 25 General aviation staff entering the airport control area shall have undergone background checks.

Staff who have not undergone background checks, when entering the airport control area, shall be accompanied throughout by staff who have undergone background checks and hold an airport control area pass.

Article 26 If an operator's staff need to carry tools, materials, or equipment into the airport control area for work purposes, they shall submit an application document to the transport airport in advance, which contains a list of the tools, materials, and equipment and is stamped with the official seal.

When entering the airport control area, they shall undergo security checks, verification, and registration by the transport airport's security inspection department at the designated channel, relying on the transport airport's approval certificate and the list of tools, materials, and equipment.

Article 27 During aircraft parking at a transport airport, the operator shall take effective security measures in accordance with regulations, or entrust the transport airport to guard the aircraft, to prevent unauthorized personnel or items from entering the aircraft.

Section 2 Special Provisions for Scheduled Passenger Transport Activities

Article 28 When passengers enter the airport control area, they shall undergo verification at a designated channel using valid identity documents and boarding credentials.

Article 29 Passengers shall not carry prohibited or restricted items listed in the Catalogue into the airport control area.

Section 3 Special Provisions for Unscheduled Passenger Transport Activities

Article 30 When carrying out unscheduled passenger transport activities at a transport airport, the commercial operator shall submit in advance to the airport of departure for record-keeping a passenger list containing valid identity document information.

Article 31 Passengers shall not carry prohibited items listed in the Catalogue into the airport control area. If passengers need to carry restricted items listed in the Catalogue, they shall declare this to the commercial operator in advance, and may carry them only with the operator's consent.

Article 32 The commercial operator shall submit the list of approved restricted items to the airport of departure for record-keeping before security checks.

Article 33 When passengers enter the airport control area, the transport airport's security inspection department shall:

(1) Verify passengers' identity documents;

(2) Check whether the identity documents of passengers match the recorded passenger list;

(3) Check whether the restricted items match the recorded list of restricted items;

(4) Conduct security checks on passengers' persons and their baggage and items according to the Catalogue and the list of restricted items.

Chapter 5 Supervision, Management, and Legal Liability

Article 34 The civil aviation administrative authorities may inspect the implementation of operators' aviation security programs and measures. Operators shall truthfully provide relevant materials or information and shall not refuse or obstruct inspections or falsify or withhold relevant materials or information.

Article 35 If an operator commits any of the following acts, and the circumstances are serious, it will be recorded as a serious breach of trust in the civil aviation industry credit record in accordance with the law:

(1) Violates Article 17 of these Rules by failing to verify, truthfully register, or report boarding personnel information; failing to conduct security checks on boarding personnel and their baggage as required; or failing to implement security controls over checked personnel and their baggage and items;

(2) Violates Article 18 of these Rules by failing to verify, truthfully register, or report boarding personnel information;

(3) Violates Articles 26, 30, or 32 of these Rules by making false reports or concealing the list of tools, materials, and equipment, or the passenger list or list of restricted items during general aviation activities at a transport airport, or by forging or altering application documents.

Article 36 If an operator has any of the following situations, the civil aviation administrative authority shall order correction within a specified period; if correction is not made within the period, a warning, a notice of criticism, or a fine of not more than 10,000 yuan shall be imposed:

(1) Violates Article 9 of these Rules by failing to properly register and store the aviation security program;

(2) Violates Article 10 of these Rules by failing to provide security training to relevant staff;

(3) Violates Article 20 of these Rules by failing to meet the retention time requirements for identity registration information of boarding personnel, security check information of boarding personnel and their baggage, client identity information, cargo information, or cargo security inspection information.

Article 37 If an operator has any of the following situations, the civil aviation administrative authority shall order correction within a specified period and impose a warning, a notice of criticism, or a fine of not more than 10,000 yuan:

(1) Violates Article 6 of these Rules by not having an aviation security organization or person responsible for aviation security;

(2) Violates Article 14 of these Rules by failing to conduct background checks on security-related personnel;

(3) Violates Article 21 of these Rules by failing to clearly define the division of security responsibilities and specific security requirements when entrusting security services to an entrusted service provider;

(4) Violates Article 22 of these Rules by the entrusted service provider failing to meet relevant requirements.

Article 38 If an operator has any of the following situations, the civil aviation administrative authority shall order correction within a specified period and impose a fine of not less than 10,000 yuan but not more than 20,000 yuan; if circumstances are serious, a fine of not less than 20,000 yuan but not more than 30,000 yuan:

(1) Violates Article 13 of these Rules by failing to inspect the aircraft before takeoff;

(2) Violates Article 16 of these Rules by transporting passengers or items prohibited from transportation under relevant state regulations;

(3) Violates Article 17 or Article 18 of these Rules by failing to register or report identity information of boarding personnel;

(4) Violates Article 23 of these Rules by failing to take effective measures, causing personnel, baggage, items, and cargo of general aviation activities landing at a transport airport to mix with commercial air transport within the airport control area;

(5) Violates Article 25 of these Rules by allowing general aviation staff who have not undergone background checks to enter the airport control area without being accompanied throughout as required;

(6) Violates Article 26, 30, or 32 of these Rules by forging or altering application documents, or making false reports or concealing the list of tools, materials, and equipment, or the passenger list or the list of restricted items;

(7) Violates Article 34 of these Rules by refusing or obstructing inspections by civil aviation administrative authorities, failing to truthfully provide relevant materials or information, or falsifying or withholding relevant materials or information.

Article 39 If a transport airport violates Article 23 of these Rules by failing to take effective measures, causing personnel, baggage, items, and cargo of general aviation activities landing at the airport to mix with commercial air transport within the airport control area, the civil aviation administrative authority shall order correction within a specified period and impose a fine of not less than 10,000 yuan but not more than 20,000 yuan; if circumstances are serious, a fine of not less than 20,000 yuan but not more than 30,000 yuan shall be imposed.

Article 40 If a transport airport violates Article 24, 26, or 33 of these Rules by failing to conduct security checks on persons, items, or cargo entering the airport control area as required, the civil aviation administrative authority shall impose a fine of not less than 10,000 yuan but not more than 20,000 yuan; if circumstances are serious, a fine of not less than 20,000 yuan but not more than 30,000 yuan shall be imposed.

Article 41 If a violation of these Rules exists where relevant laws and administrative regulations such as the Counter-Terrorism Law of the People's Republic of China and the Civil Aviation Security Regulations of the People's Republic of China have clear provisions on penalties, those provisions shall prevail.

Chapter 6 Supplementary Provisions

Article 42 For the purpose of these Rules, the following terms have the meanings assigned to them:

(1) 'Aircraft' includes only airplanes and helicopters.

(2) 'Background check' refers to an investigation into a person's identity and past history.

(3) 'Operator's staff' refers to flight crew, line maintenance personnel, and other working personnel.

(4) 'Security inspection' refers to the act of inspecting cargo to be loaded onto a general aviation aircraft to prevent unauthorized items from entering the aircraft.

Article 43 If the requirements in Chapter 4 of these Rules concerning access control, security checks, aircraft ground security, etc. within the airport control area are inconsistent with other regulations governing civil aviation management, the provisions of these Rules shall prevail.

Article 44 Foreign general aviation aircraft operators conducting general aviation activities within the territory of the People's Republic of China shall act with reference to these Rules.

Article 45 These Rules shall come into effect from July 1, 2022.