Air Operator Certificate (AOC) - CAA

AOC GUIDE – COMMERCIAL AIR OPERATIONS (PCAAD-617)
Note: The size of the certification team shall depend upon the magnitude of the
proposed operation.
3.3.5 Formal Application Meeting
This meeting shall be held at the end of preliminary technical assessment. The purpose
of this meeting is to ensure that the applicant has a clear understanding of the
certification process in general and subsequent in depth inspection in particular.
Following points will be discussed during this meeting:
a) Confirmation of any commitments made or serious difficulties noted during the
course of the preliminary assessment;
b) Preparedness of an in-depth inspection of all aspects of the applicant's
organization, aircraft, facilities, equipment and personnel that shall be carried out
during the inspection phase.
c) Alterations, if any in the proposed operation that shall be based on preliminary
assessment.
d) Plan of action or the schedule of events for the inspection phase. The time frame
of activities that are to be performed both by the operator and the PCAA shall be
decided in this meeting. Schedule of events due to be performed have to be
decided and be agreed upon. It is very important that the schedule of events be
realistic and contains sufficient flexibility to allow for unforeseen contingencies.
e) Any shortcomings found during the preliminary technical assessment shall be
discussed. Flight Standards Directorate / Airworthiness Directorate shall offer
guidance or advice as appropriate, to the applicant.
3.4 Preliminary Financial, Economic and Legal Assessment Phase
3.4.1 The importance of a thorough and careful preliminary assessment of the application
cannot be overemphasized. The more thoroughly the applicant's competence is
established at the initial stage, the less will be the likelihood of having serious problems
in the operational inspection phase or during the course of subsequent operations. Such
an assessment is essential at an early stage to reveal any critical deficiencies in the
applicant's proposals and enable the operator to prepare alternative proposals. If
deficiencies are found which are such that they can be rectified, the applicant should be
given a reasonable opportunity to do so; otherwise the application should be rejected.
3.4.2 In assessing the application prior to a detailed operational inspection it will be necessary
for the PCAA to make a preliminary investigation with total satisfaction that the applicant
has:
a) Sufficient financial resources;
b) A route structure for the proposed operation;
c) An intended level of service that meets a need or demand and is in the public
interest;
d) Proposed a type and level of operation that is in accord with bilateral or
multi-lateral air transport agreements relating to traffic rights, frequencies,
capacity, routes, etc., to which the State is a party;
e) Presented traffic studies or other data indicating that the proposed operation
should be economically successful; and
f) Management structure and suitable personnel, equipment, facilities, manuals,
buildings, service agreements, etc., or will be able to obtain them.
3.4.3 Financial assessment of the prospective operator, as a practice and policy, is carried out
at very initial stage when, he/she is in the process of obtaining the licence. As a
prerequisite, the financial assessment is carried out through Directorate of Air Transport
(DAT). Only after having a satisfactory report on financial viability of the operator, the
licence is issued.
3.4.4 The above process is followed for the reason that frequently, the financial viability of the
operation is the critical factor in reaching a decision as to whether a licence/AOC should
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