Today aircrafts are considered to be the safest type of transport. An organization that provides people with passenger and freight transportation is called an airline. As a rule, each airline has an air operating certificate or license. It is given by the national aviation authority to provide an aircraft operator with the opportunity to exploit the aircraft for commercial goals.
According to this certificate the airline admits that it is responsible for the safety of its workers and the members of the general public. An air operator’s certificate includes the information about the aircraft that is used by the company, the area where it is used (particular airports or some region) and the purpose of usage. The process of the certification includes four stages: inquiry, application, assessment and certification.
The inquiry allows to understand what steps should be made to apply for the certification. The applicants find out what kind of the application form they need and where they can get it by contacting with PAC. After that they write the statement of intend and send it to the Civil Aviation Safety Authority and ask to arrange a pre-application meeting. The project manager evaluates it according to the received information.
During the application, the documentation is checked. As a rule, the list of the personnel and operations manual are examined. If the application gains a positive estimate, it is addressed to the Civil Aviation Safety Authority Regional Office for assessment. It is obligatory for the applicant to pay the fee for the processing of the air operator’s certificate.
Otherwise, the Safety Authority is able to ignore the application and not to access it. If the applicant did not provide all the requirements, the application can be considered later, when the information is added, or the Civil Aviation Safety Authority may decline it.
The operations that were mentioned in the application are examined to make sure that they are safe and appropriate to meet regulatory requirements. The next step is the verification of the evidence that supports the application. All these take place within the assessment stage.
The safety of the aircraft, the qualification of the staff, and the facilities are checked with the help of a project plan, which was prepared by the applicant and showed on the formal application meeting with the Civil Aviation Safety Authority project team. Such technical documentation assessments as flying operations, cabin safety, airworthiness, dangerous goods, safety management system, aerodromes, alcohol or other drugs, and ground operations must be performed, verified and tested.
During the certification phase, one applies to the Civil Aviation Safety Authority for an air operator’s certificate. The certification is issued if the applicant is able to comply with the safety rules and the Safety Authority is satisfied with the results (Air operator’s certificate process manual, 2012).
Operational reporting consists of the dialed data that is organized in order to meet the needs of the Department of transport (DOT). The up-to-the-second information must be reflected to make a short-term accurate decision. For example, all delay time should be recorded to collect air traffic activity.
The staff must deliver OPSNET reports for the time they are working (usually 24 hours). Personnel make a preparation and distribution report on National Airspace System. Traffic/operations counts must be reported and submitted. Aircraft category, equipment, weather, runway, and volume are also to be mentioned (Operational data reporting requirements, 2011).
Airlines spends include different sources. Of course, the certification process is one of them. A license should be gained each time some improvement is made or a new aircraft is going to be used. Thus, the total expenditures become higher. However, I believe the costs to be worthy. The certification process is extremely accurate to prevent an emergency, or at least to be prepared to react. That is why I believe, its stages should not be omitted and the process should not be streamlined in order to assure safety.