SERA.5015 Instrument flight rules (IFR) — Rules applicable to all IFR flights

(a) Aircraft equipment

Aircraft shall be equipped with suitable instruments and with navigation equipment appropriate to the route to be flown and in accordance with the applicable air operations legislation.

(b) Minimum levels

Except when necessary for take-off or landing, or except when specifically authorised by the competent authority, an IFR flight shall be flown at a level which is not below the minimum flight altitude established by the State whose territory is overflown, or, where no such minimum flight altitude has been established:

(1) over high terrain or in mountainous areas, at a level which is at least 600 m (2000 ft) above the highest obstacle located within 8 km of the estimated position of the aircraft;

(2) elsewhere than as specified in (1), at a level which is at least 300 m (1000 ft) above the highest obstacle located within 8 km of the estimated position of the aircraft.

(1) An aircraft electing to change the conduct of its flight from compliance with the instrument flight rules to compliance with the visual flight rules shall notify the appropriate air traffic services unit specifically that the IFR flight is cancelled and communicate thereto the changes to be made to its current flight plan.

(2) When an aircraft operating under the instrument flight rules is flown in or encounters visual meteorological conditions it shall not cancel its IFR flight unless it is anticipated, and intended, that the flight will be continued for a reasonable period of time in uninterrupted visual meteorological conditions.

(3) Change from IFR flight to VFR flight shall only be acceptable when a message initiated by the pilot-in-command containing the specific expression ‘CANCELLING MY IFR FLIGHT’, together with the changes, if any, to be made to the current flight plan, is received by an ATS unit. No invitation to change from IFR flight to VFR flight shall be made by ATS either directly or by inference.