An air operator's certificate (AOC) is the approval granted by a civil aviation authority (CAA) to an

aircraft An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air. It counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engine ...

operator to allow it to use aircraft for commercial purposes. This requires the operator to have personnel, assets, and system in place to ensure the safety of its employees, and the general public. The certificate will list the aircraft types, and registrations to be used, for what purpose and in what area – specific airports or geographic region.

Requirements

The requirements for obtaining an AOC vary from country to country, but are generally defined as: * Sufficient personnel with the required experience for the type of operations requested. * Airworthy aircraft, suitable for the type of operations requested. * Acceptable systems for the training of crew and the operation of the aircraft (Operations Manual). * A quality system to ensure that all applicable regulations are followed. * The appointment of key accountable staff, who are responsible for specific safety critical functions such as training, maintenance and operations. * Carriers Liability Insurance (for Airlines) – Operators are to have sufficient insurance to cover the injury or death of any passenger carried. * Proof that the operator has sufficient finances to fund the operation. * The operator has sufficient ground infrastructure, or arrangements for the supply of sufficient infrastructure, to support its operations into the ports requested. * The certificate is held by a

legal person In law, a legal person is any person or 'thing' (less ambiguously, any legal entity) that can do the things a human person is usually able to do in law – such as enter into contracts, sue and be sued, own property, and so on. The reason for ...

who resides in the country or region of application (for

EASA The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is an agency of the European Union (EU) with responsibility for civil aviation safety. It carries out certification, regulation and standardisation and also performs investigation and monitori ...

International variations

An AOC is referred to as an Air Carrier Operating Certificate in the United States and as an Air Operator Certification in New Zealand.

New Zealand

Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand's Part 119 establishes ''Air Operator Certification rules for Air Transport Operations (ATO) and Commercial Transport Operations (CTO)''. They provide two levels of certification: (a) AOC for air operations in all sizes of aircraft; (b) general aviation AOC for air operations in helicopters and aircraft with nine or less passenger seats.

United States

According to the

United States Department of Transportation The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT or DOT) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It is headed by the secretary of transportation, who reports directly to the President of the United States a ...

, the

Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic ...

is to maintain an airline air carrier's operating certificate in the category of fitness. An air carrier must maintain the following three standards: adequate financing, competent management, a willingness to comply with applicable laws and regulations. At least 75 percent of airlines controlling voting equity must be held by US citizens.

Transfer

An AOC is valuable. It shows the relevant NAA's acceptance of the operator's personnel, infrastructure and procedures. In most jurisdictions an AOC may be sold or acquired to avoid the arduous process of gaining regulator acceptance for a new AOC. To this end, a failed airline can be sold as a

going concern A going concern is a business that is assumed will meet its financial obligations when they become due. It functions without the threat of liquidation for the foreseeable future, which is usually regarded as at least the next 12 months or the spec ...

and then changed into another business. For example,

Northwest Airlines Northwest Airlines Corp. (NWA) was a major American airline founded in 1926 and absorbed into Delta Air Lines, Inc. by a merger. The merger, approved on October 29, 2008, made Delta the largest airline in the world until the American Airlines ...

bought

FLYi FLYi, Inc., previously known as Atlantic Coast Airlines Holdings, Inc., was a Delaware airline holding company based in the Dulles area of unincorporated Loudoun County, Virginia.Compass Airlines, now a feeder airline for

Delta Air Lines Delta Air Lines, Inc., typically referred to as Delta, is one of the major airlines of the United States and a legacy carrier. One of the world's oldest airlines in operation, Delta is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline, along w ...

marketed as

Delta Connection Delta Connection is a regional airline brand name for Delta Air Lines, under which a number of individually owned regional airlines primarily operate short- and medium-haul routes. Mainline major air carriers often use regional airlines to ope ...

. Likewise Strategic Airlines purchased the AOC, staff and routes of the failed OzJet airlines.

References

External links

CAA UK – List of UK AOC HoldersFAA USE – Searchable Database of Certificate Holders
{{DEFAULTSORT:Air Operators Certificate Aviation licenses and certifications Aviation safety Civil aviation