Frequently asked questions

Depending on the category, number and nature of the findings detected and recorded by the inspectors during the ramp inspection, several measures may be taken.

If the findings indicate that the safety of the aircraft and its occupants is affected, corrective measures may be required by the inspected person prior to its resumption of operation or the need to establish limitations on its flight. The collaboration of the Command Commander/PiC (PIC) of the aircraft will normally be required to deal with the most serious findings and measures, but any duly accredited representative appointed by the operator (TMA, F/O, etc.) may assume such responsibility.

In general, if category 3 findings have been detected, these will generally involve the operator taking ‘corrective measures before authorising the flight’ to rectify the identified deficiencies. In other cases, where such measures cannot be taken, it may be necessary to establish operational restrictions or limitations, as discussed above, which may range from requiring the application of operational (O) or maintenance (M) procedures as contained in documents such as the Minimum Equipment List (MEL) for uncorrected defects that can be dispatched or others set out in the Operator’s Operations Manual (OM) to the application of other more restrictive measures in accordance with other documents approved by the Supervisory Authority (e.g. EASA, in the case of operators, aircraft or registrations registered in the Spanish Register of Registrations) equivalent.

In rare cases, in situations where inspectors detect a lack of cooperation or even a lack of explicit intention on the part of the Aircraft Command Commander/Pilot to take the necessary action in respect of the findings communicated to it, the inspectors shall first force the aircraft to remain on the ground, an act which will be formalised by the authority. The official act of immobilisation by the inspecting State means that the aircraft is prohibited from resuming its flights until appropriate corrective action is taken, and occurs whenever the operator intends to undertake the operation without addressing the serious deficiencies identified, contrary to the criteria of the inspectors, as provided for in Regulation (EU) No 965/2012, ARO.RAMP.140, in Article 30: Extraordinary measures of Law 21/2003 of 7 July 2003 on Aviation Safety, Title III: Aeronautical inspection, and Articles 33 and 43 of provisional and extraordinary measures respectively contained in Royal Decree 98/2009 of 6 February 2009 on Aeronautical Inspection Regulations.

In Spain, as a member of ICAO (Instrument of Ratification published in BOE No. 55 of 24 February 1947) and of the European Union (Instrument of Ratification published in BOE No 1 of 1 January 1986), the SAFA/SACA Inspections are part of the Rampa Inspection Programmes developed by ICAO from which the European Commission’s SAFA Inspection Programme was derived, after which EASA extended it to air carriers within the EU with SACA inspections.

The main regulations that apply to SANA Inspections are as follows (listed not exhaustive):

a. INTERNATIONAL AND EUROPEAN FRAMEWORK:

(1) Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation of 1944, Article 16. Aircraft inspection; and its derivative Annexes
2) Regulation (EU) 2018/1139, Chapter IV, Article 62 and its derived technical regulations, including:

I. Regulation (EU) No 965/2012, Annex II, Subpart RAMP;
II.    Regulation (EU) No 1321/2014,
iii.    Regulation (EU) No 1178/2011,
iv.    Regulation (EU) No 748/2012,
v. Regulation (EU) No 923/2012,

B. NATIONAL MARCO

1) Law 21/2003 of 7 July 2003 on Aviation Safety;
(2) Law 48/1960 of 21 July on Air Navigation;
3. Royal Decree 98/2009 of 6 February 2009, Aeronautical Inspection Regulations; and
4) Law 39/2015 of 1 October 2015 on the Common Administrative Procedure of Public Administrations.
5) Royal Decree 184/2008 of 8 February 2008 approving the Statute of the State Aviation Safety Agency
6) Technical regulations, including:

I. RD 750/2014
ii.    RD 384/2015
iii.    Technical standard of ULM.

The detail for the execution of ramp inspections is developed by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in EASA’s Rampa Inspection Manual, which details inspection instructions and procedures.

In 1996, the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC) launched the ramp inspection programme with the intention of ensuring that ICAO standards were being respected.

In 2004, Directive 2004/36/EC established an obligation for all EU Member States to conduct ramp inspections of aircraft belonging to third States operating at their airports.

Currently, ramp inspections are carried out in Spain on aircraft:

a) third countries (SAFA inspections);
b) of the European Union (SACA inspections); 
c) and national (SANA inspections)

The bodies and bodies with competence in the field of Aeronautical Safety (Air Safety) are:

the European Commission, as the maximum decision-making body of the Member States of the European Union;
the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which is the body established by the European Commission, pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 216/2008, for the development of the European Union’s aviation safety strategy. (c
) At national level, the State Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), established by Royal Decree (RD) 184/2008 of 8 February, is the body that has the purposes, powers and functions in the field of aviation safety for civil aviation in the territory of the Spanish State.

AESA has (among others) the delegated powers to carry out inspections in Rampa in the national territory, which it will carry out on its own or through its own instrumental means.

a) SAFA: Safety Assessment of Foreign Aircrafts. These are ramp inspections carried out by a Competent Authority of an EASA Member State on operators (or registrations in the case of private aircraft) of a third State not belonging to EASA.

b) SACA: Safety Assessment of Community Aircrafts. These are ramp inspections carried out by an EASA Member State Competent Authority on operators (or registrations in the case of private aircraft) under the supervision of another EASA Member State.

Authorised inspectors use a checklist with 53 points to be inspected during ramp inspections, divided into four (4) Categories:

a) Flight cabin,
b) Safety elements/passenger cabin,
c) Status of aircraft,
d) Cargo, and
e) General aspects

The checks carried out in each of these categories include (without being an exhaustive list) the documentation of the aircraft which the operator is required to carry on board in accordance with the applicable regulations, the procedures, technical manuals and release documentation that are kept in the cockpit and which the flight crew and cabin crew are required to comply with, pilot licences, security equipment in the cockpit and cabin, the general condition of the hold, the cargo being carried on the aircraft and its associated documentation and the general external condition of the aircraft.

As the time between arrival and departure (stop time) may not be enough to review the complete checklist, all 53 points may not be inspected. The policy of the Rampa Inspection Program is not to interfere with the operator’s normal operation by avoiding delays except for safety reasons, as set out in Regulation (EU) No 965/2012, ARO.RAMP.125, as well as to avoid, as far as possible, contact with the existing passage.

Non-compliances detected during a ramp inspection are called findings or findings. The absolute number of inspection findings represents an important result of the inspection process that provides valuable information about the aircraft concerned or its responsible operator. On the other hand, this should be carefully taken into account in relation to the “severity” of the findings. To that end, three categories of findings or findings have been defined as indicated in Regulation (EU) No 965/2012, ARO.RAMP.130:

finding “Category 1”: it is referred to as minor finding, and includes any non-compliance with applicable requirements or the terms of a certificate that does not have a significant impact on safety;
B) Finding “Category 2”: is a significant finding, covering any non-compliance with applicable requirements or the terms of a certificate that has a significant impact on safety, and (
c) Finding “Category 3”: a major finding, in this case any significant non-compliance with the applicable requirements or the terms of a certificate that has a significant impact on safety.

The terms “minor”, “significant” and “greater” refer to the level of influence on security. The main purpose of the categorisation of findings is to classify compliance with a standard and the severity of non-compliance with this standard.

Inspections and categories of findings are recorded in EASA’s centralised database for SAFA and SACA inspections.

When considering the findings established during a ramp inspection, Category 2 (significant) and Category 3 (important) findings require the greatest attention when it comes to the need for rectification.

Ramp inspection results are recorded by the Inspection Test Inspection Team (POI). The usual practice is that the Commander/Pilot of the newly inspected aircraft command, or the representative of the designated carrier, be informed of the results in the event that the flight crew has been allowed to leave the aircraft, giving him a copy of the POI.

Subsequently, with the upload of the file in the centralised EASA database, the operator or the inspected individual will be formally informed of the conduct of the inspection and of the results of the inspection.

In addition, the results of categories 2 and 3 are communicated to the Aeronautical Authority responsible for the safety oversight of the aircraft or its Operator for information and to the Operator, with the request that it take appropriate measures to avoid recurrence.

In order to achieve the objectives of the EU Rampa Inspection Programme in the best possible way, close cooperation with the Aviation Authorities of all States whose operators and aircraft have been subject to ramp inspections is essential. As part of their responsibility for the safety oversight of their national operators in accordance with relevant international safety standards, these Aviation Authorities are requested to ensure the proper implementation of corrective measures in order to address reported discrepancies.

Any aircraft taking off or landing at a Spanish airport/airfield, regardless of nationality, aircraft type or type of operation, may be inspected by AESA, directly or through public bodies or state-owned commercial companies, which have the status of their own instrumental means and technical service of the General State Administration and its bodies and bodies governed by public law, which are entrusted with carrying out the physical actions of the aeronautical inspection of a technical or specialised nature, in accordance with Article 3. Scope of the Aeronautical Inspection Regulation (RIA), Royal Decree 98/2009.

The difference between one type or another of ramp inspection lies in the type of regulation that applies to the inspection. Therefore, in the case of aircraft of an operator or private individual registered in the Spanish Register of Registration or not registered but carrying out a commercial activity, an SANA inspection is carried out with its applicable regulations (see question 2). For aircraft of non-EU operators or individuals, i.e. third countries outside the EU, it will be an SAFA inspection and for aircraft belonging to Community operators/particulars with non-Spanish registration will be an SACA inspection. In the case of SANA inspections, you can consult the applicable regulations in the corresponding FAQ.

Although the programme started in 1996 by inspecting commercial operators, today the programme includes:

a) SAFA inspections: any aircraft except those defined as State aircraft under the 1944 Convention on International Civil Aviation of Chicago;

b) SACA inspections: any aircraft except those carrying out military, customs, police, search and rescue, fire-fighting, border control, coastal surveillance or similar activities or services, as set out in Regulation (EU) 2018/1139 Article 2 and Regulation (EU) No 965/2012, Annex II, Subpart RAMP.