Definition
The government body responsible for regulating civil (non-military) aviation within a country, including aircraft certification, pilot licensing, airspace rules, and operating standards. In the United States this is the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA); in the United Kingdom it is the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA); other countries have their own equivalents such as Transport Canada or EASA in Europe.
Plain English
The official agency in each country that makes and enforces the rules for civilian flying.
Context Anchor
Seen in RVSM discussions when the handbook explains who must approve an aircraft or operator before using reduced vertical separation airspace.
Derivation
Civil here means non-military, from Latin civilis (relating to citizens). So a civil aviation authority is the body that governs flying done by ordinary citizens and commercial operators, as opposed to the military.
Why Pilots Care
Approvals, certifications, and operational authorisations (like RVSM, ETOPS, or type ratings) are issued by the civil aviation authority of the country where the aircraft or operator is registered. Pilots flying internationally still answer to their own authority's rules.
Intuition Check
Do not read authority here as a single controller giving you a clearance. In this term, it means the national government organization that sets and enforces civil aviation rules.
Example Sentence 1
Before flying in RVSM airspace, the operator must obtain authorization from the civil aviation authority of the country in which the aircraft is registered.
Example Sentence 2
Each country’s civil aviation authority determines the exact requirements for its pilots and aircraft.