Combined airworthiness organisations | Traficom
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Transport and Communications Agency

Combined airworthiness organisations

The aircraft owner is responsible for the management of the aircraft’s continuing airworthiness. The owner may conclude a contract to transfer this responsibility to a combined airworthiness management organisation (Part-CAO). A CAO approval can be issued to cover both maintenance and airworthiness management, or the approval can be issued to cover only maintenance practices or airworthiness management. Part-CAO does not include an SMS requirement. Traficom issues the approvals of Finnish CAO organisations and oversees their operation.

The CAO approval entitles the organisation to maintain and manage the airworthiness of those aircraft that are not classified as complex motor-powered aircraft and that are not used for commercial air transport requiring an Air Operator Certificate (AOC). In operations subject to an AOC in commercial air transport, the party responsible for airworthiness must always be an approved Part-CAMO organisation.

Continuing airworthiness management means drawing up and keeping a maintenance programme for the aircraft, seeing to it that maintenance in accordance with the maintenance programme is carried out on time by an approved maintenance mechanic (certifying staff), and keeping and retaining the technical records of the aircraft.

A combined airworthiness management organisation may also receive the right to carry out aircraft airworthiness reviews.

 Applying for Part-CAO approval

You can apply for a combined airworthiness management organisation approval from Traficom if the organisation’s head office is in Finland.
For the processing of the matter, Traficom will nominate an inspector responsible for your organisation, who will be your contact person in matters related to the approval.
If necessary, you can already contact Traficom before the official application.

The processing of the approval begins by sending an application using the electronic EASA Form 2, in which you describe the company's contact details and the intended scope of work. Indicate the scope of the work that the approval is applied for by using the drop-down menu in the form below. If the required scope of work is missing from the list, contact Traficom’s registry or switchboard.
Deliver the application signed by the accountable manager to Traficom’s registry.

The organisation must have an accountable manager who is ultimately responsible for the operation and for meeting the financial requirements.


In addition, the organisation must have the following nominated post holders:

  • A person or a group of persons nominated with the responsibility of ensuring compliance with the requirements set for continuing airworthiness management (CAM)
  • A person or a group of persons nominated with responsibility for quality practices
  • A person or a group of persons nominated with the responsibility of ensuring compliance with the requirements set for maintenance practices (Maintenance Manager.

Use the EASA Form 4 to apply for the approval of these persons (excl. accountable manager). Attach the required training and employment certificates to the application. The nominated post holders referred to in Form 4 must also acceptably complete  

The following documents must also be submitted for approval as appendices to the application:

  • Combined airworthiness exposition (CAE) (incl. Appendices, forms and methods)

 

At the initial stage of processing the application for approval, an initial meeting is organised between the organisation's nominated post holders and Traficom’s inspectors. In the initial meeting, you will go through in more detail how the approval process progresses and it will be possible to discuss matters related to the approval process and its timetable in more detail.

The inspector responsible for your organisation will go through the presented documents and if necessary, requests corrections to them.


Before issuing the approval, Traficom will conduct an approval audit of the organisation to ensure that the organisation meets all the requirements set for it. Before this, the organisation is expected to conduct an internal audit in which it examines and ensures its readiness for the activities referred to in the approval.


If any findings are made in Traficom's audit, they must be corrected before the approval can be issued.

When the documents related to the approval have been checked and the possible audit findings have been corrected, Traficom will issue an approval to the organisation and deliver it to the organisation in writing.
The approval is issued using the EASA Form 3-CAO.
After the approval has been issued, an invoice will be sent to the organisation in accordance with the Decree on the Fees Charged by Traficom in force at the time.

Statutory basis

The requirements for the management of continuing airworthiness of aircraft are defined in Commission Regulation (EU) No 1321/2014 and its Annex Vd (Part-CAO).

Statutes

See also

 

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