Airworthiness Division (AIR)

The primary responsibilities of the FSD/AIR is to cover all matters concerning the registration of aircraft, continuing airworthiness, and approval of maintenance organizations, maintenance certification of operators and to assist in the licensing of aircraft maintenance personnel. It is also responsible for those engineering tasks associated with continuing airworthiness.

The tasks and responsibilities assigned to the FSD/AIR include but are not limited to the following:

    a) Recording, reviewing and processing applications for registration and de-registering of aircraft as appropriate and issuing certificates of registration. Keeping the national register of civil aircraft and making information from the register available as and when required;

    b) Recording, reviewing and processing applications for Certificates of Airworthiness, renewals of such certificates and validations of foreign Certificates of Airworthiness. Surveying aircraft for issuance, renewal and validation of Certificates of Airworthiness;

    c) Providing technical assistance in, reviewing applications, organizing and conducting examinations of applicants for aircraft maintenance licenses;

    d) Periodically reviewing the airworthiness condition and records of aircraft on the register in order to assess the adequacy of their maintenance and to assess the competence and diligence of the persons who perform the maintenance;

    e) Investigating, major defects discovered in aircraft and determining corrective action to be taken where airworthiness may be affected, detect and correct any trends and to reveal areas most in need of airworthiness improvement, and establish a service difficulty reporting (SDR) system;

    f) Reviewing aircraft and component manufacturers’ service bulletins and airworthiness directives issued by foreign airworthiness authorities to determine their applicability to the national aircraft, and directing corrective action where airworthiness may be affected;

    g) Surveying the maintenance facilities including training provisions, organization and quality control procedures of applicants for issuance and renewal of air operator AOC and AMO certificates;

    h) Conducting periodic surveillance of the facilities, procedures and work of holders of AOCs, making appropriate directions and recommendations and approving amendments to the operator’s AOC and to his maintenance and quality control manuals as appropriate;

    i) Assessing the qualifications of persons for designation as approved persons, and of others as alternates, to perform certain airworthiness functions, and monitoring of the activities of these persons from time to time;

    j) Conducting inspection on the local and the foreign aircraft;

    k) Contributing in the investigation of aircraft accidents;

    l) Issuing approval for inspection, overhaul, maintenance and repair organizations;