Sofema Aviation Services (SAS) www.sassofia.com considers the general features related to an EASA-Compliant Operations Manuals
Introduction – Structure of the Operations Manual
The manual should be well-structured and easy to navigate. It typically consists of several parts:
- Part-A: General/Basic: Policies, responsibilities of key personnel, and a description of the operator’s management system.
- Part-B: Operating Procedures: Specific operating procedures for flight and ground operations.
- Part-C: Aircraft Operating Matters: Procedures and information specific to each type of aircraft operated, including performance, loading, and minimum equipment lists.
- Part-D: Training: Training programs for crew and other operational staff.
- Part-E: Cabin Crew Procedures: Specific procedures and instructions for cabin crew.
Manual Features
- Customization and Detailing: The manual should be tailored to reflect the specific operations, fleet, and practices of the airline or operator. Generic manuals are not sufficient. It should detail how each aspect of the regulation is met in practice.
- Safety Management System (SMS): Incorporate details about the Safety Management System, emphasizing how safety risks are managed. This includes reporting systems, safety policy, safety objectives, risk management, and safety assurance.
- Flight Time Limitations (FTL): Include a clear outline of the FTL schemes in use, ensuring they comply with the regulations.
- Emergency Response Planning: Detail the procedures for dealing with emergencies, both in-flight and on the ground.
- Compliance Monitoring: Implement a system to regularly monitor and audit compliance with the manual and the underlying regulations.
Continuous Updating and Revising: The Operations Manual is a living document. It should be regularly reviewed and updated to ensure ongoing compliance, especially when there are changes in regulations, operational procedures, or fleet composition.
Staff Training and Accessibility
Ensure all relevant staff are trained on the manual’s contents and have easy access to it, including updates.
ORO.MLR.100 Operations manual – general Regulation (EU) No 379/2014
(a) The operator shall establish an operations manual (OM) as specified under 8.b of Annex IV to Regulation (EC) No 216/2008.
(b) (b) The content of the OM shall reflect the requirements set out in this Annex, Annex IV (Part-CAT), Annex V (Part-SPA), Annex VI (Part-NCC) and Annex VIII (Part-SPO), as applicable, and shall not contravene the conditions contained in the operations specifications to the air operator certificate (AOC), the SPO authorisation or the declaration and the list of specific approvals, as applicable.
(c) The OM may be issued in separate parts.
(d) All operations personnel shall have easy access to the portions of the OM that are relevant to their duties.
(e) The OM shall be kept up to date. All personnel shall be made aware of the changes that are relevant to their duties.
(f) Each crew member shall be provided with a personal copy of the relevant sections of the OM pertaining to their duties. Each holder of an OM, or appropriate parts of it, shall be responsible for keeping their copy up to date with the amendments or revisions supplied by the operator.
For AOC holders
(1) for amendments required to be notified in accordance with ORO.GEN.115(b) and ORO.GEN.130(c), the operator shall supply the competent authority with intended amendments in advance of the effective date; and
(2) for amendments to procedures associated with prior approval items in accordance with ORO.GEN.130, approval shall be obtained before the amendment becomes effective.
Note: For SPO authorisation holders, any amendment associated with the authorised standard operating procedures, prior approval shall be obtained before the amendment becomes effective.
The operator shall ensure that information taken from approved documents, and any amendment thereof, is correctly reflected in the OM. This does not prevent the operator from publishing more conservative data and procedures in the OM.
(k) The operator shall ensure that all personnel are able to understand the language in which those parts of the OM which pertain to their duties and responsibilities are written. The content of the OM shall be presented in a form that can be used without difficulty and observes human factors principles.
AMC3 ORO.MLR.100 Operations manual – general ED Decision 2022/005/R
The OM should contain at least the following information, where applicable, as relevant for the area and type of operation:
Ops Manual Part A GENERAL/BASIC
ADMINISTRATION AND CONTROL OF THE OPERATIONS MANUAL
- A statement that the manual complies with all applicable regulations and with the terms and conditions of the applicable AOC.
- A statement that the manual contains operational instructions that are to be complied with by the relevant personnel.
- A statement that handwritten amendments and revisions are not permitted, except in situations requiring immediate amendment or revision in the interest of safety.
ORGANISATION AND RESPONSIBILITIES
- Organisational structure. A description of the organisational structure, including the general organogram and operations departments’ organograms.
- Nominated persons. for flight operations, crew training and ground operations, as prescribed in ORO.AOC.135.
- Responsibilities and duties of operations management personnel.
- Authority, duties and responsibilities of the pilot-in-command/commander. A statement defining the authority, duties and responsibilities of the pilot-in-command/commander.
- Duties and responsibilities of crew members other than the pilot-in-command/commander.
OPERATIONAL CONTROL AND SUPERVISION
- Supervision of the operation by the operator. A description of the system for supervision of the operation by the operator (see ORO.GEN.110(c
- Licence and qualification validity,
- Competence of operations personnel,
- Control, analysis and storage of the required records.
- System and responsibility for promulgation of additional operational instructions and information.
- Operational control. A description of the procedures and responsibilities necessary to exercise operational control with respect to flight safety.
- Powers of the authority. A description of the powers of the competent authority and guidance to staff on how to facilitate inspections by authority personnel.
MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
- A description of the management system, including at least the following:
o safety policy;
o the process for identifying safety hazards and for evaluating and managing the associated risks;
o compliance monitoring system;
o allocation of duties and responsibilities;
o documentation of all key management system processes.
CREW COMPOSITION
- Crew composition. An explanation of the method for determining crew compositions, taking account of the following:
o the type of aircraft being used;
o the area and type of operation being undertaken;
o the phase of the flight;
o the minimum crew requirement and flight duty period planned;
o experience (total and on type), recency and qualification of the crew members;
o the designation of the pilot-in-command/commander (see ORO.FC.105);
o the designation of the senior cabin crew member and, if necessitated by the duration of the flight, the procedures for the relief of the senior cabin crew member and any other member of the cabin crew.
o Flight crew incapacitation. Instructions on the succession of command in the event of flight crew incapacitation.
o Operation on more than one type. A statement indicating which aircraft are considered as one type for the purpose of:
- flight crew scheduling; and
- cabin crew scheduling.
FLIGHT TIME LIMITATIONS
- Flight and duty time limitations and rest requirements.
- Exceedance of flight and duty time limitations and/or reductions of rest periods.
o Conditions under which flight and duty time may be exceeded or rest periods may be reduced, and the procedures used to report these modifications.
- A description of the fatigue risk management, including at least the following:
o The philosophy and principles;
o Documentation of processes;
o Scientific principles and knowledge;
o Hazard identification and risk assessment processes;
o Risk mitigation process;
o FRM safety assurance processes; and
o FRM promotion processes.
OPERATING PROCEDURES (example)
- Flight preparation instructions. As applicable to the operation:
- Minimum flight altitudes.
- Criteria and responsibilities for determining the adequacy of aerodromes to be used.
- Methods and responsibilities for establishing aerodrome operating minima.
- En-route operating minima for VFR flights or VFR portions of a flight
- Presentation and application of aerodrome and en-route operating minima.
- Interpretation of meteorological information.
- Determination of the quantities of fuel, oil and water-methanol carried.
- Mass and centre of gravity.
- The applicable passenger and baggage masses for various types of operations and aircraft types;
- General instructions and information necessary for verification of the various types of mass and balance documentation in use;
- Last-minute changes procedures;
- The specific gravity of fuel, oil and water-methanol;
- Seating policy/procedures;
- Air traffic services (ATS) flight plan.
- Operational flight plan.
- Operator’s aircraft technical log.
- List of documents, forms and additional information to be carried.
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