We conduct surveillance to make sure individuals and organisations that hold aviation authorisations are managing their safety risks and complying with the relevant regulations.
We do this by:
- checking their systems and products
- looking at their documents and manuals
- examining other available data and intelligence.
Surveillance of commercial operations
We conduct extensive routine surveillance on commercial operations across Australia. This includes periodically visiting sites where we have assessed the risks with a particular operator.
Our surveillance monitors an aircraft operator certificate (AOC) holder's ability to manage safety risks and their compliance with safety regulations. These surveillance activities include:
- operational checks
- testing systems
- gathering evidence and data.
We also conduct unscheduled surveillance when an operator comes to our attention through:
- credible reports about alleged unsafe conduct
- information provided by other aviation agencies.
We can also gain information from random audits (known as ramp checks) conducted on any flight.
Surveillance of private operations
A private operation is a trip flown by a person with private or recreational pilot's licence. Unlike commercial flights you usually cannot buy a ticket for a private flight. These are flights usually organised between friends or family and the pilot directly.
Private pilots have sole responsibility for the conduct of the flight. They must operate strictly in accordance with the aviation safety rules and in the interest of ensuring air safety.
They must have:
- current medical certificate
- valid licence
- appropriate endorsements to fly certain aircraft in particular conditions.
They must also have had a recent flight review. This is a routine check to keep their skills current.
Pilots must carry their licence and medical certificate with them when acting as pilot in command of an aircraft. Private pilots are also subject to our surveillance but not to the same extent as commercial operators.
We oversee private pilots though:
- our licensing system
- reports from the aviation industry or passengers
- random spot checks at airports and aerodromes.
We conduct surveillance on private pilots if we get reports a pilot is not compliant.
We may get these reports from passengers and other witnesses. We can also conduct ramp checks as part of our general surveillance process. These can be part of planned surveillance of a particular area, aerodrome or airfield, or as a one-off.
Surveillance findings
Where we discover areas that need action, we issue what we call 'surveillance findings.' These are issued directly to the operator.
We classify these findings in a way that encourages a collaborative approach to safety.
- Safety alerts relate to regulatory deficiencies that need immediate action
- Safety findings relate to regulatory issues that need prompt attention
- Safety observations relate to other areas where there may be regulatory issues if they are not addressed
- Aircraft safety reports relate to aircraft defects.
Sharing our findings
When we have completed our surveillance activities, we meet with the authorisation holder and talk to them about the results. After that meeting, we write our formal surveillance report and give it to the authorisation holder, along with any specific findings.
We publish details of AOC approvals and the outcomes of enforcement action resulting from serious non-compliance, including suspension or cancellation of AOCs, flight crew licences or other authorisations.
Learn more on our Enforcement actions page.