Approved Maintenance Organisations
Approved Maintenance Organisations
This domain tests the conditions under which a maintenance organisation may perform and release maintenance. The central document is the Part 145 approval and its scope.
Approval and scope
A CAAM Part 145 AMO must hold an approval that lists the aircraft types, components, and line or base maintenance it may support. The organisation maintains a Maintenance Organisation Exposition (MOE) describing its procedures, accountable manager, quality system, facilities, tooling, stores, personnel and record controls. The quality system must be independent of the work being checked.
Work and release
Work is controlled by an approved work package. After completion, authorised certifying staff issue a Certificate of Release to Service (CRS) within the approval scope. Records and parts traceability must be retained. Subcontracting is allowed only under controlled arrangements.
Worked example
An AMO approved only for line maintenance on the A320 is asked to perform a heavy C-check. The approval scope does not include base maintenance for that type. The AMO cannot accept and release the check merely because it has skilled staff; it must decline or arrange a properly approved subcontractor. Scope, not capability alone, controls.
Traps
Approval is not "one size fits all"; it is type- and task-specific. A CRS issued outside the approval scope is invalid. An EASA or FAA approval does not substitute for CAAM approval. Do not confuse the MOE with a generic quality manual; it is the organisation's approved exposition.