Frequently asked questions

Below are two useful links regarding applicable regulations, guides and information needed for DOA processes:

• DOAS NO EASA (ESA competence):
  https://sede.seguridadaerea.gob.es/sede-aesa/catalogo-de-procedimientos/aprobación-de-organizaciones-de-diseño-no-easa
   
• DOAS EASA:
  https://www.easa.europa.eu/domains/aircraft-products/design-organisations/design-organisations-approvals

Approval of Design Organisation, as described in Part 21 Subpart J of Annex I to Regulation (EU) 748/2012. This applies for those design activities that fall within the scope of EASA’s work, as set out in Article 2 of Regulation (EU) 2018/1139. In these cases, EASA itself is responsible for managing both the approval process and the subsequent supervision of approved design organisations.

In the case of design organisations carrying out activities that do not fall within the scope of EASA’s work, the reference regulations are the JAR-21 Subparts JA and JB standards of the Annex to Royal Decree 660/2001. In these cases, it is the State Aviation Safety Agency that is responsible for the approval process and subsequent supervision of approved design organisations.

Therefore, EASA can approve Design Organisations for aircraft certification projects and their amendments, provided that these are excluded from the application of European regulations under Article 2 of Regulation (EU) 2018/1139. For this reason, and due to the limited scope of approval what AESA can give, it is normal for all Design Organisations to apply for EASA approval.

According to the regulatory point ORO.FTL.230:

Yes, it is acceptable, provided there are sufficient non-contactable periods of 8 hours to allow rest. For example, a 36-hour reservation that includes two nights would require two non-contactable periods, assuming that the crew member’s sleep pattern is the usual (night).

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According to the regulatory point ORO.FTL.110:

At the expense of compliance with the requirements of ORO.FTL.110, it is permissible for the operator to schedule days, other than days off, on which in principle there is no assigned activity, but where activity may be assigned well in advance (which must be defined in the MO). An activity assignment on a “free day” would be a change in programming, and should be accounted for. When considering a change in programming, the activation of a “franco” must be carried out in accordance with all the considerations of change established by the operator (minimum antelations, means of contact, etc.).

According to the regulatory point ORO.FTL.110:

No. The standard does not indicate the period to be reported in the programming. Provided that each programming day is known 14 days in advance, the requirement is met.

The inspected person is obliged to undergo the alcohol test as part of the inspection process in accordance with Article 4 of Regulation (EU) 965/2012 and Article 25 of Law 21/2003, and in particular as part of ramp inspections based on the recent regulations established in Article ARO.RAMP.106 of Regulation (EU) 965/2012.

In view of the above, the refusal to undergo such a test without justified reasons accepted by the inspection team (as may be medical reasons such as those laid down in Articles MED.B.001 or MED.B.0015 for flight crews or in Articles MED.C.035, and MED.C.030, for cabin crews within Regulation (EU) No 1178/2011 shall be considered as a positive result in accordance with Article ORO.GEN.140 of Regulation (EU) No 965/2012 and of paragraph TCO.115 of Regulation (EU) No 452/2014 in the case of third country aircraft, and as a result of the failure to provide an inspector for the same reasons;

The objectives are determined using a simple algorithm that takes into account the company’s situation from different sources of information and its number of operations during the preceding period. Moreover, since it is a programme coordinated by EASA, in the case of non-Spanish operators, account is also taken of the number of operations in other territories and the possibility of being inspected by different states.

Although the targets are regularly reviewed, approximately 1200 inspections of foreign aircraft and about 450 inspections of domestic aircraft have been carried out at present and in normal situations, although the number of inspections may vary greatly and depends on the resources the authority may devote to such inspection.

Oh, yeah, yeah. Any aircraft registered in Spain may be inspected by any competent authority in the country of destination of the flight, or intermediate stops if any, in accordance with the provisions of the 1944 Convention on International Civil Aviation of Chicago, Article 16 and in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 965/2012, Annex II, Subpart RAMP. Among the types of inspection they can receive are SAFA/SACA and SANA ramp inspections, which can only be carried out by those countries participating in the EU SAFA Programme. Participants are currently in the Programme, which are: Albania, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Republic of Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Republic of North Macedonia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates and United Kingdom.

Oh, of course. The operator or owner of the inspected aircraft has the possibility to submit the documentation or evidence it deems appropriate, uploading this information to the EASA database, where it will be evaluated by the person responsible for its file.

All information exchange is carried out telematically through the centralised EASA tool, where all the activity related to the inspection is recorded.