How
to Obtain Air Operator’s Certificate
Introduction
Air Operator’s
Certificate is granted by National Aviation Authority allowing an air operator
to use aircraft for commercial purposes. It requires the operator to have
assets, personnel and other system ready for ensuring safety of both the
employees and the general public. This certificate states the registrations of
the aircraft to be used, the purpose they will be used for and the airports
and geographical region they will be operating in.
Requirements
for Obtaining AOC
In United States, the requirements include;
1. Having
enough personnel with the required experience for the operations intended.
2. An
airworthy aircraft capable of conducting the operations requested.
3. Good
and acceptable systems for training crew and operations manual.
4. Proper
systems of ensuring all regulations are followed.
5. An
appointment of major accountable staff responsible for various critical safety
functions.
6. Carriers
Liability Insurance to cover any injury or death of any passenger carried in
case of an accident.
7. A
proof that the operator has adequate funds to finance the operations.
8. Sufficient
ground infrastructure for the operator to support operations into the requested
ports.
9. According
to European Aviation Safety Authority, the certificate should be held by a
legal person who resides in the region.
According to United
States Department of Transportation, the work of the Federal Aviation
Administration is to ensure that air carriers have adequate financing,
competent management and are willing to comply with the set regulations and
that 75 percent of the airlines controlling equity voting is held by US
citizens.
Sections
of Obtaining AOC
One should arrange a pre-application meeting with
the CAA to determine whether the organization has enough understanding of the
appropriate regulations and requirements. After the meeting is satisfactory,
one is provided with an AOC application package which includes the following
documents;
1. A
draft Schedule of events in the application certification process.
2. An
operations checklist manual.
3. An AOC approvals document template.
4. The
Aircraft equipment checklist template.
5. Template
European Aviation Safety Authority form 4 which are to be completed for each
nominated post holder.
Application
Process
This is a crucial stage towards obtaining AOC and it
involves the following activities;
1. Identifying
the aircraft type operated.
2. Selection
of key personnel including Chief Pilot, chief training captain, chief
executive, engineering manager, Quality assurance and Investigation manager and
an AOC Application project manager all with suitable qualifications and
experience.
3. Defining
the organizational structure, location of offices, tasks to be outsourced and
key suppliers.
4. Submission
of application to the regulator of the AOC and for approval by the senior
officials.
5. Preparations
to obtain sot of policy and procedure manuals defining how the operation will
function in compliance with the regulators rules.
6. Submission
of proposals for ETOPS requirements and other approvals for regulator
agreement.
7. Submission
of exposition to the regulator and monitoring its progress in approval process
responding to the regulators questions and issues and reviewing where
necessary.
After the application
process one is awarded the certificate if the organization meets the specified
requirements at a fee. The organization should fully prove that it is capable
of financing all the operations and has adequate skilled personnel and defined
security measures both for the clients and employees. This certificate is
offered only to be valid for the operations within the stated geographical
region and for the specified operations. The certificate maybe denied if the
organization does not meet certain regulations and hence it is necessary to
monitor the approval progress. One should be ready to produce any required
documents and respond accordingly to the issues from the regulator such as
questions. The proposal might also be reviewed if requested by the regulator
and it is important for one to confirm the information before submission. This
would ensure that relevant information is provided including configurations of
the aircrafts to avoid denial of the certificate by the regulator. The
organization should also satisfactorily confirm the experience and
qualifications of the key personnel to ensure they meet the specified requirements
for ease of operation after being granted the certificate.
Company’s
Corporate Structure and Maintenance of Airworthiness
The corporate structure
includes various departments and also it is flexible enough to accommodate extra
departments in case of expansion of the services. It involves officials such
as;
1. The Chief Executive Officer
He is at the top of the
corporate hierarchy and is involved in making of crucial decisions affecting
the company. He participates in making decisions on matters like need for
expansion of the available services, cutting of operations within some loss
making routes and also approves the number of employees to be employed. He is
assisted by other officials in analyzing the overall progress of the company
operations.
2. Chief Financial Officer
The CFO is involved in
creating value for shareholders, measuring the financial performance of the
company and determining how it can be improved.
3. Board of Directors
This is a group of
individuals who are responsible in voting for major decisions at the airline.
Any crucial matters arising are presented before the board of directors for them
to scrutinize the issue fully and come up with suggestions on the actions to be
taken.
4. Sales and Marketing Professionals
They have adequate skills
on the best marketing methods and are responsible for making advertisements to
the public about the company. They market it in terms of the services it
renders in effort to attract customers. They work to ensure that the company
attracts customers.
5. Operations Personnel
This department
comprises of the pilots, flight attendants and maintenance workers who conduct
the operations of the company. The pilots are responsible for flying the
aircrafts to various destinations while flight attendance and maintenance
workers who include the load masters and the mechanics ensure that the
aircrafts are in good conditions before flight and ensure that the normal
weight of the load is not exceeded.
Maintenance
of Airworthiness
The aircrafts have to
be regularly inspected and serviced to ensure their airworthiness. If any
aircrafts is removed from service it should be protected against harmful
environmental effects if it has to be parked for duration of time before
resuming operations. The maintenance of airworthiness can be classified into
three categories depending of the state of the aircraft.
1.
Airworthiness
for an Aircraft in Service
The
aircrafts should be inspected to ensure that they are working according to the
regulatory requirements established for airworthiness. Regular maintenance
checks and testing of the aircraft systems should be conducted to detect any
malfunction and restore to its normal condition. Between flights, mechanics
should perform transit checks of the lanes at the airport ramp. The checks
include general walk-around inspection for any obvious damage, required
servicing, operational tasks specified for the plane and correction of
discrepancies. The qualified ground personnel perform visual preflight
walk-around checks and the flight crew will then complete the preflight
checklist from the flight deck to ensure airworthiness.
Aircraft Resuming from Maintenance
Downtime
This
is done to an aircraft which has been out of service for quite a period of
time. After an extended period of downtime of an aircraft which needs to be
return to service, the operational status of the aircraft systems, aircraft
configuration and its airworthiness should be verified. This is necessary
because during events like scheduled heavy maintenance check which might have
been done to the aircraft major portions of it might have been dissembled for
extensive overhaul. Some instrument panels might have removed or aircraft
systems dismantled for inspection and refurbishment. There could also be major
modifications and structural repairs done. The electrical wiring should also be
well reconnected and tested whether it is working properly before the plane is
returned to services. All the systems of the plane which had been handled
during maintenance should be operationally tested according the instructions of
the manufacturer to ensure they meet the manufacturer’s specifications. Also
functional check flight should be done before the aircraft can begin revenue
service.
Aircraft Returning from Parking
Sometimes
an aircraft maybe parked for a long period of time due to operational or
business issues such as overcapacity, market conditions, regulatory actions or
company restructuring. Preservation
procedures should be followed to protect the plane from structure deterioration,
protect the airplane systems and avoid surface finish.
The
aircraft should be safe from damage or debris contamination of static ports,
pitot probes, total air temperature probes and angle of attack sensors. The
external openings of the aircraft such as relief valves, outflow valve, vents
and ports should be closed for protection against harmful environmental
effects. Regular maintenance checks should be done since due to the inactivity
of the airplane changes may occur. The batteries may discharge; there might be
contamination of potable water systems or fuel tanks or loss of lubrication by
system mechanisms. Some system and components including the hydraulic systems,
the oxygen cylinders and the landing gear shock struts may lose pressure.
The plane should be electrostatic
ally grounded while in parking and the engine, auxiliary power unit and cargo
fire extinguishing systems and other portable fire extinguishers should be in a
fully serviceable condition in case of fire. The parking creates problems in
the proper functioning of all the systems of the plane since a mistake might
occur and the full protection of the plane is deviated from hence resulting to
malfunction of some components.
Grant Chart of Flights Comprising
Scheduled Maintenance
This
is an illustration of the flying schedule of the aircrafts which comprises
scheduled maintenance for a 24 month cycle. It is within the requirement of
each of the five aircrafts to fly for 300 hours within a period of 12 months.
The flight schedule is similar for all week days but differs from one plane to
the other allowing maintenance time at different times.
First 12 months
|
|
Monthly Flight Hours
|
Daily maintenance Hours
|
|
1st plane
|
250
|
Be
fore departure it should take duration of 3 hours of checks and maintenance.
|
|
2nd plane
|
250
|
Maintenance
done before departure for 3 hours and after arrival for 1 hour.
|
|
3rd plane
|
250
|
2
hours before departure of maintenance and 1 hr after arrival
|
|
4th plane
|
250
|
3
hours of maintenance before departure and 1 hour of checks after arrival.
|
|
5th plane
|
250
|
2
hours of maintenance before departure and one hour after arrival.
|
After one year, a
general maintenance of each airplane is done and replacement of any weak parts
of the plane is. The engine of each plane is thoroughly tested to ensure it is
well functioning. In case it is not functioning properly for operations in another
year it is replaced with a new one.
Second Year
|
|
Monthly Flight Hours
|
Daily maintenance Hours
|
|
1st plane
|
250
|
Be
fore departure it should take duration of 2 hours of checks and maintenance.
|
|
2nd plane
|
250
|
Maintenance
done before departure for 2 hours and after arrival for 1 hour.
|
|
3rd plane
|
250
|
3
hours before departure of maintenance and 1 hr after arrival
|
|
4th plane
|
250
|
2
hours of maintenance before departure and 1 hour of checks after arrival.
|
|
5th plane
|
250
|
2
hours of maintenance before departure and one hour after arrival.
|
The
circle then repeats the same process for the following years recurring after
every two years.
Maintenance Requirements of
Obtaining AOC
There
are several maintenance requirements which are required during the process of
acquiring an Airline Operator Certificate. These maintenance requirements are
intended to ensure airworthiness of all aircrafts and safety of personnel.
There should be a scheduled maintenance of the aircrafts including walk-around
checks and testing of the plane systems to ensure they are in good order. Regular
inspections are also done to ensure that the company is cable of managing all
operations of the aircrafts through proper financing. All requirements are
intended to fully proving that the company can be trusted to offer the
specified services to clients catering for all relevant activities such as training
of personnel and proper supplies to the company. An airline is a crucial
business to manage of which improper management and failure of any component of
the whole process may lead to accidents. The financial status of the company is
monitored to ensure capability of proper funding of all operations. It should
have a carriers’ liability assurance to cover any damages, injuries or loss of
life in case any aircraft causes accident.
Maintenance Options Available
For
organizations intending operate an aircraft fleet under an Airline Operator
Certificate should be able to meet the maintenance requirements according to
European Aviation Safety Authority. They should ensure that they have adequate
funds to pay for maintenance expenses and there are several options the can
adopt for ease of operations. They should employ qualified and personnel with
enough experience as mechanics who will be responsible for inspecting the
aircrafts. These personnel conduct checks on all the systems of the aircrafts
to make sure they are function well and proper testing of all components to
ensure good coordination and airworthiness.
The
organizations may choose to have scheduled maintenance of the aircrafts or be
regularly inspecting all the aircrafts and continuous replacing of the improper
components. The organization should also employ adequate personnel in order to
ensure that all the inspection and testing activities are done thoroughly by
well qualified personnel to eliminate any possibilities of accidents due to
breakdown of some parts of the aircrafts.
Another
possible option to eliminate huge maintenance costs is through conducting of
quality marketing to attract many customers and avoid the downtime moments of
any of the aircraft. When an aircraft is parked for a quite lengthy period of
time either because of business issues or structural issues they develop
problems. The problems may result as a result of not ensuring proper protection
methods where some components of the aircraft maybe affected by bad effects
from the environment.
If
major issues concerning the company require any aircraft to be retrieved out of
service, then the necessary protection measures should be observed. This will
help the company to cut unnecessary maintenance costs of buying and replacing
parts of the aircrafts not functioning properly due to improper protection of the
plane at the times they are not in service.
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