Introduction to ATPL Operational Procedures

The subject of Operational Procedures focuses on commercial air transport operations by airlines based in EASA member states. It builds on ICAO Annex 6 while emphasizing the detailed requirements of CS-OPS and EU-OPS. These notes meet the ATPL theoretical knowledge syllabus but must never be used for regulatory purposes because the source documents are regularly amended.

Key reference documents include CS-OPS 1, EASA CS 25, and multiple ICAO Annexes covering rules of the air, airworthiness, aerodromes, security and the transport of dangerous goods. Supporting material is drawn from national AIPs, manufacturer manuals and en-route supplements. The goal is safe and efficient international commercial aviation through standardized procedures.

ICAO Annex 6 Fundamentals

ICAO Annex 6 Part 1 sets the international Standards and Recommended Practices for the certification of operators conducting international commercial air transport with aeroplanes. It defines the responsibilities of the operator, the pilot-in-command and operations staff. Contracting states incorporate these SARPs into national law so that foreign operators can rely on mutual recognition of standards.

Operational control remains with the operator or a designated representative and may only be delegated to the commander. An Air Operator Certificate is granted only after the operator demonstrates both commercial viability and an acceptable safety standard. Destination and alternate aerodromes must meet the same safety criteria.

An alternate aerodrome is any aerodrome to which an aircraft may proceed when it becomes impossible or inadvisable to land at the intended destination. Categories include take-off alternate, en-route alternate, ETOPS en-route alternate and destination alternate. Selection depends on aeroplane type, route and weather.

Flight time is defined as the total time from the moment an aeroplane first moves for the purpose of taking off until it finally comes to rest at the end of the flight. This block-to-block definition is used for flight-time limitation schemes that form part of the AOC approval process.

Safety Management and Maintenance Release

The State of the Operator must establish a safety programme that sets an acceptable level of safety. Each operator implements a Safety Management System that identifies hazards, ensures remedial action, monitors performance and drives continuous improvement. Aeroplanes above 27 000 kg maximum take-off mass require a flight-data analysis programme.

Before every commercial flight the commander verifies airworthiness by checking the maintenance release. This certificate confirms that maintenance was completed satisfactorily in accordance with approved data and the maintenance organisation’s procedures. It records the work performed, completion date, organisation identity and the person signing the release.

Aircraft Lighting Requirements

Navigation lights indicate the direction of travel. Port red and starboard green lights show through 110° horizontally on each side of the longitudinal axis, while the white tail light covers 140°. Vertically the wing-tip lights cover 180° and the tail light is visible through 360°. Steady lights are standard; older aircraft may use alternating systems.

Anti-collision lights may be rotating beacons or high-intensity strobes. Their purpose is to enhance conspicuity, especially in dense traffic environments. Landing lights, ice-detection lights and cabin lighting are not subject to the same statutory carriage requirements as navigation and anti-collision systems.

EU-OPS Applicability and Quality System

EU-OPS Part 1 applies to commercial air transport by any operator whose principal place of business is in an EASA Member State. It excludes military, police, customs, parachute dropping and fire-fighting flights, as well as aerial work carrying no more than six persons engaged in the work. Synthetic training devices used in place of aeroplanes require CS-STD approval.

All crew members must communicate in a common language and understand the language of the Operations Manual sections that apply to their duties. The operator establishes a Quality System managed by a Quality Manager who reports to the Accountable Manager. Compliance monitoring includes a feedback loop to the Accountable Manager.

An Accident Prevention and Flight Safety Programme is mandatory and may be integrated with the Quality System. It covers risk awareness, occurrence reporting, incident evaluation and flight-data monitoring. The programme manager implements and monitors the effectiveness of resulting safety proposals.

Crew Responsibilities and Commander Authority

Every crew member is responsible for the safety of the aeroplane and its occupants in accordance with the Operations Manual. Faults, malfunctions or incidents that could affect airworthiness must be reported to the commander. Crew members must not present themselves for duty under the influence of drugs, after deep-water diving or blood donation, or when fatigued.

Alcohol may not be consumed within eight hours of reporting for duty, and blood-alcohol concentration must not exceed 0.2 promille. The commander is responsible for the safety of all persons and cargo from the moment of boarding until leaving the aeroplane, and for the operation of the aeroplane from first movement for take-off until final shutdown.

The commander may disembark any person or cargo that poses a safety risk, refuse carriage of intoxicated passengers, and ensure that all operational procedures and checklists are followed. Final authority for admission to the flight deck rests with the commander. Only operating crew, authority representatives and persons authorised by the Operations Manual may enter.

Documents and Manuals to Be Carried

Every flight must carry the original Certificate of Registration, Certificate of Airworthiness, Noise Certificate, Aircraft Radio Licence and Third-Party Insurance Certificate (or copies where permitted). Each flight-crew member carries a valid licence with ratings. Parts of the Operations Manual relevant to the flight and the current Aeroplane Flight Manual must also be available.

Additional items include the Operational Flight Plan, technical-log entries, ATS flight plan, NOTAM and meteorological briefings, mass-and-balance documentation, details of special-category passengers, dangerous-goods notifications, current maps and charts, and any forms required by the Authority or the operator. Information may be carried electronically if accessibility and reliability are assured.

Leasing Arrangements under EU-OPS

A dry lease places the aeroplane under the AOC of the lessee; a wet lease keeps it under the AOC of the lessor. When an EASA operator wet-leases an aeroplane and crew to another EASA operator, the lessor remains the operator. Any lease between EASA operators requires prior Authority approval and the approved conditions become variations of the AOC.

Dry-lease-in of a non-EASA aeroplane needs Authority approval and confirmation that any differences from EU-OPS instruments and communications equipment are acceptable. Wet-lease-in from a non-EASA source likewise requires approval and verification that the lessor’s maintenance standards, AOC and Certificate of Airworthiness meet ICAO Annex 8 and CS-21 requirements.

Air Operator Certificate Requirements

An applicant for an Air Operator Certificate must not already hold an AOC from another Authority unless specifically approved, must register the aeroplanes in the State issuing the AOC (or obtain mutual agreement), and must demonstrate the ability to conduct safe operations. Organisation and management structures must match the scale and scope of the intended operation.

The Accountable Manager is responsible to the Authority for financing and maintaining operations and maintenance to the required standard. Other nominated post-holders include Flight Operations, Maintenance System, Crew Training and Ground Operations managers. For operators with 21 or more employees at least two persons fill these four posts.

The AOC specifies the operator’s name and principal place of business, date of issue and validity period, authorised types of operation, aeroplane types and registration marks, authorised areas of operation, any special limitations, and special authorisations such as CAT II/III, MNPS, ETOPS, RNAV, RVSM and the carriage of dangerous goods.

Operations Manual Structure

The Operations Manual consists of four parts. Part A covers general and basic information including organisation, operational control, quality system, crew composition, qualification requirements, health precautions, flight-time limitations, operating procedures, dangerous goods, security and rules of the air. Part B addresses aeroplane-specific matters such as limitations, normal and emergency procedures, performance, mass and balance, MEL and CDL.

Part C contains route and aerodrome instructions including operating minima and special calculation methods. Part D details all training methods and requirements that ensure personnel competence. The manual must be approved by the Authority, prepared in English unless otherwise approved, kept up to date, and made available to every crew member for the sections relevant to their duties.

Aerodrome Selection and Planning Minima

Only authorised aerodromes may be used as destinations or destination alternates. A take-off alternate is required when return to the departure aerodrome is not possible for meteorological or performance reasons. For two-engine aeroplanes the take-off alternate must lie within one hour at the one-engine-inoperative cruise speed, or within the approved ETOPS diversion time up to a maximum of two hours.

For three- or four-engine aeroplanes the distance is two hours at the one-engine-inoperative cruise speed. Destination weather must be at or above the applicable aerodrome operating minima from one hour before to one hour after ETA. If the destination is isolated or weather is marginal, two destination alternates are selected. Planning minima for alternates are raised by defined increments above the published approach minima.

Commencement and Continuation of Approach

An instrument approach may be commenced regardless of reported RVR, but must not be continued beyond the outer marker or below 1 000 ft if the reported RVR is below the applicable minimum. After passing the outer marker the approach may continue to DA/H or MDA/H even if RVR subsequently falls. The approach may proceed below decision height only if the required visual reference is established and maintained.

Touch-down-zone RVR is always controlling; mid-point and stop-end RVR, when reported, are also controlling with minimum values of 125 m and 75 m respectively. When RVR is not available, meteorological visibility may be converted using published factors that depend on lighting intensity and day or night conditions.

ETOPS and Maximum Distance from Adequate Aerodromes

Without ETOPS approval a twin-engine Performance Class A aeroplane with 20 or more seats or a take-off mass of 45 360 kg or more may not operate beyond 60 minutes at the one-engine-inoperative cruise speed from an adequate aerodrome. Smaller Performance Class A aeroplanes may extend to 120 minutes, or 180 minutes for turbojets if approved. Performance Class B or C aeroplanes are limited to 120 minutes or 300 NM, whichever is less.

ETOPS approval allows operations beyond these thresholds provided a suitable en-route alternate remains within the approved diversion time or the MEL-generated time, whichever is shorter. The operator must maintain a reliability programme for ETOPS-critical equipment and publish the method for determining operating minima at the planned ETOPS alternate.

Fuel Policy and Carriage of Special Passengers

The operator’s fuel policy ensures every flight carries sufficient fuel for the planned operation plus contingency, alternate, final-reserve and any additional fuel required by the type of operation or by the commander. Contingency fuel compensates for unforeseen factors affecting consumption. In-flight re-planning recalculates trip fuel for the remaining flight plus the same reserve categories.

Persons with reduced mobility must not occupy seats that impede crew duties, access to emergency equipment or evacuation. Inadmissible passengers, deportees and persons in custody may be carried only under procedures that protect the safety of the aeroplane and its occupants; the commander must be notified of their presence.

All-Weather Operations Classification

Aeroplanes are classified into categories A to E according to threshold speed VAT, which is 1.3 times the stalling speed in the landing configuration or 1.23 times the one-g stall speed at maximum landing mass. Category A is less than 91 kt, B 91–120 kt, C 121–140 kt, D 141–165 kt and E 166–210 kt. All approaches must be stabilised unless otherwise approved.

Low-visibility operations include manual take-off, auto-coupled approach with manual or automatic flare and roll-out, and approaches using HUDLS or EVS. Category II operations use a decision height below 200 ft but not lower than 100 ft. Category IIIA has a decision height lower than 100 ft or no decision height and RVR not less than 200 m; Category IIIB reduces RVR further and Category IIIC has no RVR limitation.