Canadian Aviation Regulations · SOR/96-433
Maximum Hours of Work
Caps on total duty (not just flying): 2,200 hours in 365 days, 192 in 28 days, and either 60 or 70 hours in any 7 days depending on the time free from duty your operator gives you.
Applies to 703704705 · in force since December 12, 2020
“Hours of work” is not separately defined in the regulations. In section 700.29 it covers all duty — flying, positioning, ground duties, training — not just flight time; AC 700-047 § 4.31 treats “work” and “duty” as the same thing. Several defined terms used below (local night’s rest, single day free from duty, early / late / night duty) are reproduced verbatim in the glossary.
The ceilings
| Maximum hours of work | Over any period of | CARs |
|---|---|---|
| 2,200 hours | 365 consecutive days | 700.29(1)(a) |
| 192 hours | 28 consecutive days | 700.29(1)(b) |
| 60 hours | 7 consecutive days — under time-free option 1 (below) | 700.29(1)(c) |
| 70 hours | 7 consecutive days — under time-free option 2 (below) | 700.29(1)(d) |
60 or 70 hours in 7 days?
Which weekly cap applies depends on how much time free from duty your operator gives you. During time free from duty you owe the operator nothing — not a phone call, not a weather check, not availability (AC 700-047 § 4.32).
| Option 1 — 60 h / 7 days (700.29(1)(c)) | Option 2 — 70 h / 7 days (700.29(1)(d)) | |
|---|---|---|
| Time free from duty | 1 single day free in any 168 h, and 4 single days free in any 672 h | 120 consecutive hours free (incl. 5 consecutive local nights’ rest) in any 504 h |
| Duty restrictions | None specific to this option | No early, late or night duty; no FDP over 12 h; no more than 24 h of work in any 48 h |
To switch from the 60-hour option to the 70-hour option, the operator must first give you the full 120 consecutive hours free (including 5 consecutive local nights’ rest) before you go past the 60-hour limit (700.29(2); AC 700-047 § 4.33).
Reserve and standby
- Reserve availability time counts at 33% toward your hours of work.
- Standby time counts at 100%.
(700.29(3); AC 700-047 § 4.34.) A reserve availability period scheduled to start at 06:00 meets the definition of early duty, so it cannot be combined with the 70-hour option. Time spent on call under aerial work (702) or medevac should be counted at 100% toward the 700.29 limit when you are also operating under Division III.
Related
Regulation text — CARs 700.29
Reproduced from the consolidated Canadian Aviation Regulations ( SOR/96-433) on the Justice Laws website. CARs 700.29
700.29 (1) An air operator shall not assign a flight duty period to a flight crew member, and a flight crew member shall not accept such an assignment, if, as a result, the member’s number of hours of work will exceed
- (a) 2,200 hours in any 365 consecutive days;
- (b) 192 hours in any 28 consecutive days;
- (c) 60 hours in any 7 consecutive days if the air operator has provided the
member with the following time free from duty:
- (i) 1 single day free from duty in any 168 consecutive hours, and
- (ii) 4 single days free from duty in any 672 consecutive hours; or
- (d) 70 hours in any 7 consecutive days if the air operator has provided 120
consecutive hours free from duty, including 5 consecutive local nights’ rest, in
any 504 consecutive hours and if
- (i) the member is not assigned early duty, late duty or night duty,
- (ii) the member is not assigned a flight duty period greater than 12 hours, and
- (iii) the member’s maximum number of hours of work is 24 hours in any consecutive 48 hours.
(2) An air operator who has assigned to a flight crew member a flight duty period that will result in the member’s number of hours of work exceeding those referred to in paragraph (1)(c) shall ensure that the member has 120 consecutive hours free from duty, including 5 consecutive local nights’ rest, before assigning a flight duty period that will result in the member’s number of hours of work exceeding those referred to in that paragraph.
(3) A flight crew member’s hours of work are to include
- (a) in the case of a flight crew member on reserve, 33% of the time that they are in a reserve availability period; and
- (b) in the case of a flight crew member on standby, 100% of the time that they are on standby.
What changed in 2018
In plain language
The former rules capped duty mainly through flight-time limits and a maximum duty day. Section 700.29 adds explicit ceilings on total hours of work over 7-day, 28-day and 365-day windows, tied to how much time free from duty the operator provides.
Paraphrased from Advisory Circular 700-047 .