How do ICAO, EASA, FAA and DGCA compare?
All four describe the same airfield lights. They differ in legal standing, vocabulary, how fixtures are designated and approved, where maintenance rules sit, and how current each text is.
ICAO Annex 14 Volume I is the shared baseline. EASA transposes it into CS-ADR-DSN, the FAA works through its own Advisory Circulars and Part 139, and DGCA issues the CAR with Annex 14 numbering.
For a light, a spacing or a colour, expect the same engineering intent. Expect a different name, unit, document and edition date, and a different place to look for maintenance and approval rules.
- Name the governing text. The certification basis, national regulation or contract says which.
- Map the vocabulary. Aerodrome and airport, metres and feet, generic types and L-numbers.
- Compare the same runway category. Never compare a number across categories.
- Note every edition. Annex amendment, CS issue, AC revision letter, CAR revision.
- Record the choice. Where a tender cites several, confirm which text governs and write that into the design basis. Apply the stricter reading only where the contract requires compliance with all of them.
Same runway category, same lighting aid, each edition named. A reviewer can repeat the comparison.
A value copied across without mapping the term or the category can look different while meaning the same, or match while meaning different things.
Ten parameters, four regulators
Scroll sideways on a small screen. Each row is a question to ask of whichever text governs your project.
| Parameter | ICAO Annex 14 | EASA CS-ADR-DSN | FAA ACs | DGCA CAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Document | Annex 14 Volume I: SARPs adopted by the ICAO Council | CS-ADR-DSN with GM paragraphs, by EASA decision | Advisory Circulars (AC 150/5340-30 visual aids, AC 150/5345-46 fixtures, AC 150/5340-26 maintenance) | CAR Section 4 Series B Part I, Aerodrome Design & Operations |
| Binds whom | Contracting States, who notify differences (Article 38) | Aerodrome operators, through the certification basis (Regulation (EU) 139/2014) | Mandatory where a federal grant or Part 139 certification requires it; otherwise guidance | Aerodrome operators in India, through national regulation and licensing |
| Structure | Numbered chapters: visual aids 5, electrical 8, maintenance 10 | Lettered chapters: lights M, electrical S, colours U | Separate ACs by subject, not one document | Same numbering as Annex 14 in the paragraphs checked |
| Vocabulary and units | Aerodrome; metres | Aerodrome; metres | Airport; feet. LIRL, MIRL, HIRL and named systems such as ALSF-2 | Aerodrome; metres |
| Light designation | Generic types by function | Generic types, in Chapter M | L-numbers, such as the L-850 inset runway lights | Follows the Annex 14 generic types |
| Secondary power | Chapter 8, Table 8-1 switch-over times | Chapter S, Table S-1 | Per FAA guidance for the runway category. Map the term before comparing numbers | Follows the Annex 14 numbering. Confirm the table in the current CAR |
| Serviceability and maintenance | Aerodrome maintenance chapter | Part-ADR.OPS, ADR.OPS.C.015 | AC 150/5340-26 and Part 139 inspections | CAR maintenance paragraphs with the aerodrome manual |
| Equipment approval | Specifications only; no product certification | Check what the certification basis and tender expect | FAA certification program, AC 150/5345-53 | Check what the tender and aerodrome manual expect |
| Recording differences | Differences notified by States | Agreed with the authority and recorded in the certification basis | Listed in FAA AIP GEN 1.7, which states general conformance with Volume I | Filed on EFOD and listed in AIP India GEN 1.7 |
| Currency | Amendment 18 applicable 27 Nov 2025 for aerodrome design and visual aids; ground handling 26 Nov 2026; obstacle limitation surfaces 21 Nov 2030 | Issue 7 applicable since 24 May 2025; NPA 2026-01 (consultation closed 23 Jun 2026) proposes transposing Amendment 18 | ACs revised by letter. Cite the revision letter | Cite the CAR revision in force and the Annex 14 amendment level listed in AIP India GEN 1.7 |
Three routes from one baseline
ICAO amendments reach the Annex first. Each regulator takes them in on its own timeline, so the texts can disagree for a period. That gap is not an error.
- CHECKNOW
Find where your project stands against ICAO Amendment 18, applicable 27 November 2025 for design and visual aids: the EASA issue in the certification basis, the FAA AC revisions in force, and the CAR revision with AIP India GEN 1.7.
- EASAROUTE
EASA rulemaking brings ICAO amendments into CS-ADR-DSN. Read the EASA comparison.
- FAAROUTE
The FAA keeps its own Advisory Circulars and lists differences from Annex 14 in its AIP. Read FAA lighting terminology and FAA fixture concepts.
- DGCAROUTE
The CAR follows Annex 14 numbering and India publishes differences in GEN 1.7. Read the DGCA comparison.
Your project decides, not the matrix
The same lighting design is assessed against different texts depending on where it is built and what the contract says.
Aerodrome in the EU
Design to CS-ADR-DSN as stated in the certification basis, with serviceability from Part-ADR.OPS.
Airport in the US
Design to the FAA Advisory Circulars that grant conditions or Part 139 require, using certified equipment.
Aerodrome in India
Design to the CAR, read with AIP GEN 1.7, the airport supplements and the owner’s specification.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1Which regulator's text should an AGL design follow?
The one that binds the aerodrome. In the EU that is the certification basis built on CS-ADR-DSN. In the United States it is the FAA framework, where Advisory Circulars become mandatory through grant conditions or airport certification. In India it is the DGCA CAR read with AIP India. ICAO Annex 14 is the common baseline behind all three. Where a tender names several texts, ask the client which governs and record the answer.
Q2Are the four regulators saying the same thing about lighting?
In substance they largely agree, because EASA, the FAA and DGCA all work from the ICAO baseline. The differences that matter in practice are legal standing, vocabulary and units, how fixtures are designated and approved, where maintenance and serviceability rules sit, and how current each text is. This entry does not claim paragraph-level numeric differences that have not been checked.
Q3Is the FAA's approach a copy of Annex 14?
No. The FAA publishes its own Advisory Circulars and certifies airports under 14 CFR Part 139. The FAA's AIP states general conformance with Annex 14 Volume I and lists the differences it files in GEN 1.7. Vocabulary and units differ, for example airport for aerodrome and feet for metres, and fixtures carry L-numbers.
Q4Which text is the strictest for secondary power?
Do not assume one is. Each text sets switch-over or recovery requirements per lighting aid and runway category, in different places and with different terms. Map the term first, then compare the numbers for the same runway category and the same edition. Take the stricter reading only if the contract asks for both.
Q5How do I compare equipment approval across the four?
ICAO sets specifications and does not certify products. The FAA expects equipment from its certification program under AC 150/5345-53. For EASA and India, check what your certification basis, tender and aerodrome manual expect, because the approval route is a project decision there, not something a table can settle.
Q6Where do I find each regulator's recorded differences from ICAO?
ICAO collects differences States notify under Article 38. The FAA lists its differences in its AIP, GEN 1.7. India lists its differences in AIP India GEN 1.7. In the EASA system, a departure is agreed with the competent authority and recorded in the certification basis. The next entry in this series covers filed differences and national deviations.
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