Operator Certification, Operational Control and Management Systems
This domain asks how an AOC holder is built and supervised: the certificate itself, the management system behind it, the nominated persons, and where operational control sits. Expect questions about who is accountable for what, and about leases and contracted services.
Certification
- The AOC is issued by the competent authority after the applicant demonstrates compliance; it states the types of operation, the aircraft types and the privileges (ORO.AOC.100 and .105). It is not transferable and changes need prior approval.
- Specific approvals (Part-SPA) such as PBN, RVSM, ETOPS, LVTO, dangerous goods or CAT II/III are added separately to the certificate.
Management system (ORO.GEN.200)
- A safety management system: safety policy and objectives, hazard identification and risk assessment, occurrence reporting and investigation, safety performance monitoring, training, communication and documentation.
- Compliance monitoring: audits and inspections, findings, corrective actions, record keeping (ORO.GEN.220).
- Contracted activities stay the operator's responsibility; the operator must ensure the contractor meets the required standards (ORO.GEN.205).
Nominated persons
Accountable manager with corporate authority and resources; head of flight operations; chief pilot; head of training; head of ground operations where relevant; continuing airworthiness postholder; safety manager and compliance monitoring manager. Functions may be combined where there is no conflict of interest, and each postholder must be acceptable to the authority.
Operational control
Defined as the exercise of authority over the initiation, continuation, diversion or termination of a flight. It is held by the operator and delegated to the PIC and to flight operations staff; flight watch or flight following is the practical mechanism, and it never passes to a charterer or a handling agent.
Leases (ORO.AOC.110)
Dry lease-in or wet lease-in of an aircraft, particularly from a third-country operator, needs prior approval: safety oversight must be demonstrated, the aircraft is placed on the operator's AOC and operated to its OM and MEL, and operational control remains with the AOC holder.
Worked example
An airline plans to cover a three-month route with a wet-leased aircraft and foreign crew. Approval is required before the first flight, the authority checks oversight arrangements and the aircraft is operated under the lessee's AOC, procedures and MEL, with the lessee's operational control. Simply signing the contract and starting the programme would breach ORO.AOC.110.
Traps
- Believing an SMS is optional or only for large operators.
- Assuming the accountable manager must hold a pilot licence.
- Thinking operational control can be delegated to the customer or to ATC.