AMC2 CAMO.A.315(c) Continuing airworthiness management    

CAA ORS9 Decision No. 1

MAINTENANCE CONTRACT WITH ANOTHER CAMO/OPERATOR

(a) The purpose of point CAMO.A.315(c) is to ensure that all maintenance is carried out by an appropriately approved maintenance organisation. It is acceptable to contract another operator/CAMO (secondary operator/CAMO) that does not hold a maintenance organisation approval when it proves that such a contract is in the interest of the CAMO by simplifying the management of its maintenance, and the CAMO keeps an appropriate control of it. In this case, the CAME should include appropriate procedures to ensure that all maintenance is ultimately carried out on time by approved maintenance organisations in accordance with appropriate maintenance data. In particular, the compliance monitoring and safety risk management procedures should place great emphasis on monitoring compliance with the above and ensuring proper hazard identification, and management of risks associated with such contracting. The list of approved maintenance organisations, or a reference to this list, should be included in the CAME.

(b) This contract should not preclude the CAMO from ensuring that all maintenance is performed by appropriately approved organisations which comply with M.A.201 or ML.A.201. Typical arrangements are the following:

— Component maintenance:

The CAMO may find it more appropriate to have a primary contractor (the secondary operator/CAMO) dispatching the components to appropriately approved organisations rather than sending themselves different types of components to various maintenance organisations approved under Part-145. The benefit for the CAMO is that the management of maintenance is simplified by having a single point of contact for component maintenance. The CAMO remains responsible for ensuring that all maintenance is performed by maintenance organisations approved under Part-145 and in accordance with appropriate maintenance data.

— Aircraft, engine and component maintenance:

The CAMO may wish to have a maintenance contract with a secondary operator/CAMO not approved as maintenance organisation for the same type of aircraft. A typical case is that of a dry-leased aircraft between operators where the parties, for consistency or continuity reasons (especially for short-term lease agreements), find it appropriate to keep the aircraft under the current maintenance arrangement. Where this arrangement involves various maintenance organisations, it might be more manageable for the lessee CAMO to have a single maintenance contract with the lessor operator/CAMO. Whatever type of acceptable maintenance contract is concluded, the CAMO is required to exercise the same level of control on contracted maintenance, particularly through the person(s) nominated under point CAMO.A.305(a) and the management system as referred to in CAMO.A.200.