SUMMARY REPORT ON THE SAFETY OVERSIGHT AUDIT FOLLOW-UP OF THE QATAR CIVIL AVIATION AUTHORITY

Transcription

1 ICAO Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme SUMMARY REPORT ON THE SAFETY OVERSIGHT AUDIT FOLLOW-UP OF THE QATAR CIVIL AVIATION AUTHORITY (Doha, 22 to 24 September 2003) International Civil Aviation Organization

2 ICAO UNIVERSAL SAFETY OVERSIGHT AUDIT PROGRAMME Summary Report on the Safety Oversight Audit Follow-up of the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority (Doha, 22 to 24 September 2003) 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background The former Department of Civil Aviation and Meteorology (DCAM) of Qatar was initially assessed under the voluntary ICAO Safety Oversight Assessment Programme from 7 to 11 December 1996 by an ICAO assessment team. Subsequently, an audit was carried out from 7 to 12 April 2001 pursuant to Assembly Resolution A32-11 and in accordance with the updated Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) agreed to on 21 July 2000 between Qatar and ICAO. The objective of the audit was twofold. Primarily, its objective was to fulfil the mandate given to ICAO pursuant to the above-mentioned Assembly Resolution. Secondly, the audit was conducted with the objective of ascertaining the progress made in the implementation of the recommendations forwarded during the voluntary assessment conducted in 1996 and to re-ascertain the safety oversight capability of the DCAM of Qatar. The audit also aimed at ensuring that Qatar was in conformity with ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs), as contained in Annexes 1, 6 and 8 to the Convention on International Civil Aviation (Chicago Convention) and related provisions in other Annexes, guidance material and relevant safety-related practices in general use in the aviation industry On 21 July 2001, Qatar submitted an action plan addressing all the findings and recommendations contained in the audit interim report and also providing comments and clarifications of some of the items contained in the audit interim report. The action plan submitted was reviewed by the Safety Oversight Audit (SOA) Section and was generally found to be satisfactory, as was an update to the action plan submitted on 9 February The action plan and comments provided were taken into consideration in the preparation of the final and summary reports. The summary report was distributed to all Contracting States by State letter AN 19/1-02/26 in March Objectives and activities of the audit follow-up mission The audit follow-up mission was conducted in accordance with Article 18 of the MOU and the ICAO Safety Oversight Audit Manual (Doc 9735). The objective of this mission was to validate the implementation of the corrective action plan and to ascertain the status of the progress made, which enables ICAO to update the information contained in the audit findings and differences database (AFDD) and also to inform other Contracting States on the status of the safety oversight system of Qatar through a non-confidential summary report. It is important to appreciate in this respect that audit follow-up missions are not audits and are not designed to evaluate all aspects of a State s aviation framework or safety oversight system.

3 CIVIL AVIATION ACTIVITIES IN QATAR At the time of the audit follow-up mission, civil aviation activities in Qatar included: a) number of technical staff employed by the organization at Headquarters 7 b) number of regional offices 0 c) number of technical staff employed at regional offices 0 d) number of active pilot licences 540 e) number of active flight crew licences other than pilot licences (flight engineer and flight navigator) 14 f) number of aviation training establishments 1 g) number of active licences other than flight crew licences 23 h) number of commercial air transport operators 3 i) number of air operator certificates (AOCs) issued 2 j) number of aircraft operations inspectors 2 k) number of aircraft registered in Qatar 53 l) number of currently valid certificates of airworthiness issued 53 m) number of approved maintenance organizations (AMOs) 3 n) number of non-approved aircraft maintenance organizations 0 o) number of design organizations 0 p) number of aircraft manufacturing organizations 0 q) number of aircraft parts or equipment manufacturing organizations 0 r) number of aircraft type certificates issued 0 s) number of type certificates other than aircraft issued 0 t) number of aircraft airworthiness inspectors 2 3. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 3.1 Qatar has achieved significant progress in implementing its action plan in the area of primary aviation legislation subsequent to the ICAO safety oversight audit carried out in The new Law No. 15 of 2002 contains all civil aviation provisions in various areas and clearly specifies that ICAO provisions are accepted and implemented by Qatar. Law No. 15 of 2002 also contains provisions for the establishment of

4 - 3 - the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority (QCAA), an autonomous CAA, headed by a Chairman of the Board of Directors and vested with appropriate powers to administer the civil aviation sector and to issue appropriate regulations, procedures and instructions. A new set of Qatar Civil Aviation Regulations (QCARs) has been issued based on the Joint Aviation Requirements (JARs) and relevant ICAO Annexes. An established procedure allows for the identification of differences between these regulations and the ICAO SARPs and their notification to ICAO. 3.2 Essential progress has been made in the area of civil aviation organization as the new Law No. 15 has lead to the establishment of an independent CAA. The new CAA of Qatar controls its own budget and is therefore enabled to operate as an adequately equipped organization and to be a competitive employer. The duties, responsibilities and required qualifications of CAA inspectors have been established. However, no formal training policy has been established, and individual training requirements have not been addressed in a formal long-term training programme. 3.3 The QCAA has made considerable progress in the area of personnel licensing and training. The new QCAR-FCL 1 and QCAR-MED have been implemented by the QCAA and contain regulations relating to personnel licensing and training. These regulations are supplemented by a set of procedures and guidelines addressing the processes of licensing and examinations in their entirety. Since its inception, the QCAA has also established a personnel licensing office and has appointed a senior personnel licensing officer, one ground examiner and one flight examiner, who are responsible for the approval of training programmes and the conduct of examinations. The QCAA has also established a system, requirements and procedures for the designation of medical examiners, which highlight the requirements concerning experience, training and responsibilities of authorized medical examiners. 3.4 Tangible progress has been achieved in the area of aircraft operations. The certification of air operators in Qatar is carried out according to the recently established regulations QCAR-OPS 1 for aeroplanes and QCAR-OPS 3 for helicopters, which are based on JAR-OPS 1 and JAR-OPS 3 respectively, with minor adaptation and introduction of additional ICAO Annex 6 SARPs. The new regulations contain provisions concerning aircraft operations, safe transport of dangerous goods by air, requirements for crew and other personnel training, requirements related to the responsibility of the air operator, as well as the processes for the certification and surveillance of AOC holders. These regulations are supplemented by adequate procedures covering all the certification and surveillance processes. The QCAA has established a new department in charge of the certification and surveillance of air operators, and a vast recruitment programme for additional operations inspectors has been launched. The QCAA does not delegate any parts of its surveillance programme to the certified operators, and QCAA flight operations inspectors carry out all ground and en-route inspections as well as the approval and monitoring of crew training programmes. 3.5 Good progress has been made in the area of airworthiness of aircraft since the ICAO audit. Based on ICAO Doc 9760, the QCAA has developed the Airworthiness Inspector Manual. This manual provides guidance on maintenance aspects of special approvals, such as extended range operations by twin-engined aeroplanes (ETOPS) and all-weather operations (AWO), and addresses procedures for reliability programmes and maintenance programme deviations. Airworthiness notices have been issued or revised to adequately cover areas such as welding and non-destructive testing (NDT), as well as maintenance aspects

5 - 4 - of lease arrangements. Furthermore, an efficient system for the review of airworthiness directives (ADs) is in place, and QCAR 16 relating to noise regulations has been issued. However, sensitive areas such as adequate level of staffing and the establishment of formal audit plans still need further improvement. 4. RESULTS OF THE AUDIT FOLLOW-UP MISSION 4.1 Primary aviation legislation and civil aviation regulations a) Action proposed by State. With respect to the need to revise the primary aviation legislation to allow for the introduction and promulgation of air navigation regulations at the Directorate level, the DCAM indicated in its action plan that a new State of Qatar Civil Aviation Act of 2001 would be promulgated into law by 30 September This new Civil Aviation Act, which will supersede the Civil Aviation Law No. 15 of 1991, specifies in greater detail the duties and responsibilities of the Minister responsible for civil aviation and also allows for the delegation of the necessary authority and the assignment of corresponding responsibility to develop, issue and revise operating regulations at the level of the DCAM. b) Validation of action proposed. Qatar has issued a new primary aviation law, Law No. 15 of 2002, which contains all civil aviation provisions in various areas and clearly specifies that ICAO provisions are accepted and implemented by Qatar. It also contains provisions for the establishment of the QCAA, an autonomous CAA, vested with the appropriate powers to administer the civil aviation sector. Article 4 of Law No. 15 of 2002 specifies that the QCAA is exclusively responsible for the administration of civil aviation matters and the establishment of civil aviation regulations and related procedures and instructions. Furthermore, Law No. 16 of 2001, whereby the QCAA is created, gives a more detailed delegation of powers to the Chairman of the Board of the QCAA to issue regulations, procedures, certificates, licences and authorizations and also to amend, suspend or revoke them as deemed necessary. The ICAO recommendation has been complied with a) Action proposed by State. Regarding the need to establish a formal procedure for implementing amendments to ICAO SARPs or for identifying and notifying the differences to ICAO, the DCAM indicated that a system for implementing amendments to the SARPs contained in ICAO Annexes 1, 6 and 8, as well as for identifying and notifying ICAO of the differences that may exist between the QCARs and the SARPs would be established and published in the DCAM Manual of Policies and Procedures, Safety Regulations Section, document reference No. DCAM/MPP.SRS/01. The DCAM expects to complete the manual by 30 September b) Validation of action proposed. The QCAA has implemented new QCARs based on the JARs and relevant ICAO provisions. An internal procedure established by the QCAA allows for the assessment of the implementation and identification of the differences between the QCARs and the ICAO SARPs as well as the notification to

6 - 5 - ICAO of the existing differences. Some differences have been identified in the audited areas and notified to ICAO. The ICAO recommendation has been complied with a) Action proposed by State. Concerning the recommendation to revise the primary aviation legislation to include enforcement provisions and to establish penalties for contravention of the regulations, the DCAM indicated that the new Civil Aviation Act of 2001 would include provisions related to the enforcement of the civil aviation regulations, including prescribing penalties for contravention of the regulations. The DCAM also indicated that the Inspector Manual for Aviation Safety Inspectors would be completed by 30 September 2001, which would formally establish and document the implementation of enforcement procedures within the DCAM in order to ensure a standardized and objective approach. b) Validation of action proposed. Aviation Law No. 15 of 2002 requires the application of the legislative framework and contains enforcement provisions. The QCAA has also established enforcement procedures in the Inspector Manual for Aviation Safety Inspectors. Cases of enforcement of QCAA regulations were reviewed by the ICAO audit follow-up team and were found well documented. The ICAO recommendation has been complied with a) Action proposed by State. With respect to the need to specifically empower DCAM inspectors with unrestricted access to aircraft and facilities in order to conduct inspections, the DCAM indicated that this issue would be addressed in the new Civil Aviation Act of 2001, to be promulgated by 30 September The DCAM would also develop inspectors credentials by 30 September 2001 to ensure the proper authorization of inspectors who are granted rights of access when carrying out inspections of Qatar s aviation activities. b) Validation of action proposed. Article 14 of Law No. 15 of 2002, which specifies that QCAA inspectors have the authority to prevent an aircraft from departure for safety reasons, grants the access and inspection of aircraft and on-board documents to aviation safety inspectors. A list of these inspectors is published indicating their specialty, authority and delegations, and the QCAA is finalizing a new badge to be issued to them. In addition, Article 45 of Law No. 15 of 2002 gives QCAA aviation inspectors the authority to: carry out assessments or investigations to ensure that aircraft are airworthy; have unlimited access to aircraft and operator s facilities and documents; and issue their recommendations directly to operators. The ICAO recommendation has been complied with a) Action proposed by State. Regarding the need to amend the Civil Aviation Law and operating regulations to provide for the implementation of Article 83 bis, the DCAM indicated that the new Civil Aviation Act of 2001 would provide for the implementation of Article 83 bis, including the recognition of certificates of airworthiness and/or personnel licences, and for the proper transfer of State of Registry responsibilities under Article 83 bis. The DCAM also indicated that a programme for the periodic review of these agreements would be included in the

7 - 6 - Inspection Manual for Aviation Safety Inspectors which would be completed by 30 September b) Validation of action proposed. Article 13 of Law No. 15 of 2002 and QCARs applicable to aircraft operations require a prior approval of leasing aircraft arrangements for public air transport operations. Article 13 also allows for the transfer of tasks, functions and responsibilities of the State of Registry to the State of Operator and specifies that agreements concerning these transfers must be in accordance with the provisions of Article 83 bis of the Chicago Convention. Qatar has not entered into any transfer agreements under Article 83 bis provisions, but both the operations and airworthiness inspector handbooks have already been amended and contain applicable procedures and checklists. The ICAO recommendation has been complied with a) Action proposed by State. Concerning the recommendation to establish a system for the amendment of the Civil Aviation Law and the QCARs to ensure timely incorporation of ICAO Annex amendments, the DCAM indicated that a system for the timely amendment and incorporation of current Annex SARPs into the Civil Aviation Law and the QCARs would be established and published by 30 September 2001 in the DCAM Manual of Policies and Procedures, Safety Regulations Section, document reference No. DCAM/MPP.SRS/01. b) Validation of action proposed. Procedures for updating Qatar laws and regulations are part of legal instruments applicable to all sectors. Law No. 15 of 2002 and Law No. 14 of 2001 delegate to the Chairman of the CAA the authority to issue and amend civil aviation regulations. These provisions allow for the prompt implementation of ICAO Annexes and their amendments. The ICAO recommendation has been complied with. 4.2 Organization of civil aviation a) Action proposed by State. With respect to the need to ensure that the DCAM has appropriate resources to ensure an effective safety oversight system, the DCAM indicated in its action plan that it would request government funds and financial allocation, to be approved before 30 September 2001, to permit the following activities and undertakings: 1) reclassification of remuneration for DCAM inspectors equivalent to the level offered to counterparts in industry before 30 October 2001; 2) hiring of additional qualified and experienced DCAM flight operations and airworthiness inspectors, personnel licensing examiners and technical staff before 30 December 2001; 3) conduct of safety oversight-related inspections, monitoring, surveillance and other aviation activities in accordance with preplanned programmes and milestones, starting 30 September 2001;

8 - 7-4) participation and completion of initial and recurrent local and overseas training of all inspectors, starting 30 October 2001; 5) purchase of two vehicles for use by inspectors for inspection and surveillance duties, before 30 October 2001; 6) purchase of additional materials, tools and equipment for use by inspectors during inspection and surveillance duties and aircraft accident and incident investigation, before 30 November 2001; 7) completion of aircraft accident investigation and management training for all persons to be appointed to conduct or participate in aircraft accident investigations, before 30 December 2001; 8) establishment of a Personnel Licensing Office dedicated to the issue, extension and renewal of personnel licences in accordance with Annex 1, before 30 December 2001; 9) establishment of a technical library dedicated to safety oversight and inspection functions, before 30 December 2001; and 10) hiring of a qualified and experienced technical librarian, before 30 December In addition, the DCAM indicated that, as of 5 July 2001, it had purchased additional office equipment, installed IDD telephones, office computers, the LAN system and Internet access, and started subscriptions for various aviation publications and continuing airworthiness information. b) Validation of action proposed. Decree Law No. 16 of 2001 was enacted on 1 August 2001 establishing an autonomous QCAA. The Decree Law enables the QCAA to control its budget independently and gives it the flexibility to deviate from the remuneration scale of other civil services. This flexibility has permitted the QCAA to become a competitive employer, as salaries are comparable if not higher than in the local industry. The budget allows the QCAA to recruit additional inspectors in order to accomplish the required safety oversight responsibilities and provides funding for the training of inspectors. The office equipment, such as computers, telephone lines, Internet access and subscriptions for technical documentation, has been upgraded to meet the demands of the aviation industry in Qatar. Furthermore, sufficient government vehicles are now available to the inspectorate staff to carry out their inspections and audits tasks. The ICAO recommendation has been complied with a) Action proposed by State. With respect to the need to establish formal written terms of reference for all technical staff and a formal recruitment policy, the DCAM indicated that the DCAM Manual on Policies and Procedures, to be completed by

9 September 2001, would provide the written terms of reference for all technical staff as well as outline the formal rules and standard policy for recruiting technical staff with appropriate qualifications and experience based on relevant ICAO guidance material. b) Validation of action proposed. The newly developed Flight Operations Inspection Manual and Airworthiness Inspector Manual contain the detailed duties and responsibilities of each section and each individual position. Furthermore, qualification requirements, including industry experience for each inspector, have been developed and are included in the manuals. The ICAO recommendation has been complied with a) Action proposed by State. Concerning the need to establish a formal training policy and training programme for the technical staff, the DCAM indicated that a formal training policy for technical staff would be provided in the DCAM Manual of Policies and Procedures by 30 September It also indicated that a formal training programme would be established and published in the annex of the manual and would specify an indoctrination and on-the-job training (OJT) period which would be required before the technical staff are deemed qualified to undertake their job responsibilities and functions. Records of all technical personnel would be established and maintained in a databank with files controlled by the Safety Regulations Section starting 30 August b) Validation of action proposed. Individual training needs have been identified in each section, and funding for training is available as a result of the QCAA having gained independent control of its budget. A formal training policy for the Air Safety Department as a whole has been introduced; however, a formal training programme has not been established. A relevant policy manual is currently in preparation to provide QCAA policies concerning training, written terms of reference, recruitment and the establishment of procedures for technical staff. The ICAO recommendation remains open. Note. Subsequent to the audit follow-up mission, the QCAA submitted an update on 20 December 2003 indicating that a formal training programme for the Air Safety Department technical staff has now been established. Furthermore, a QCAA inspector has been recently sent on an inspectors course in the Netherlands, and the QCAA is planning to send technical staff on additional courses as they become available. The QCAA has further indicated that they are in the process of communicating with different international training organizations and CAAs on possible training courses available a) Action proposed by State. With respect to the recommendation to establish an accident investigation board and to provide appropriate training for those participating in such a board, the DCAM indicated that its Senior Airworthiness Inspector has completed a course in aircraft accident investigation management and has been involved in various aircraft incident and accident investigations prior to and during his tenure in the DCAM. The DCAM also indicated that the technical

10 - 9 - staff of the Safety Regulations Section have sufficient technical knowledge to participate in aircraft accident investigation, being either qualified airline transport pilots or professional aeronautical engineers with considerable experience. However, provisions enabling the establishment of an accident investigation board/committee are provided for in the new Civil Aviation Act of 2001, and a training policy and standard for persons appointed to conduct investigations will be published in the DCAM Manual of Policies and Procedures by 30 September These persons will be required to complete training overseas on aircraft accident investigation and management starting from 30 November b) Validation of action proposed. The new Civil Aviation Act of 2001 (Decree of Law No. 16) enables the QCAA to establish an accident investigation board/committee. A Memorandum of Understanding was recently signed between the QCAA and the Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) of the British Department of Transport which provides for the AAIB to assist Qatar in the event of an aircraft accident investigation. The AAIB will furthermore assist the QCAA in providing training on aircraft accident investigation to QCAA staff appointed as investigators. However, this training has not yet been accomplished. The ICAO recommendation remains open. Note. Subsequent to the audit follow-up mission, the QCAA submitted an update on 20 December 2003 indicating that training of the QCAA staff will take place as soon as it becomes available. 4.3 Personnel licensing and training a) Action proposed by State. With respect to the need to implement all the requirements of Annex 1 SARPs, or identify and notify the differences to ICAO, the DCAM indicated that, by 30 August 2001, it would notify ICAO of the differences between the QCARs and the ICAO SARPs regarding the non-issuance of the glider pilot, free balloon pilot and flight operations officer licences. Meanwhile, by 30 September 2001, the DCAM would incorporate provisions for the issuance of aircraft maintenance engineer (AME) licences and ratings in the QCARs, Part I, Volume 6; provisions for the issuance of an air traffic controller licence and ratings in the QCARs, Part I, Volume 5; and requirements for Class 3 Medical Assessments in the QCARs, Part I, Volume 3. b) Validation of action proposed. The QCAR-FCL 1 and QCAR-MED regulations implemented by the QCAA contain personnel licensing and training regulations. These regulations are based on JAR-FCL 1 and JAR-FCL 3 as well as on ICAO Annex 1 provisions. The QCAA has implemented procedures for the amendment and revision of these regulations and the identification of differences between the QCARs and the ICAO SARPs. The ICAO recommendation has been complied with a) Action proposed by State. Regarding the recommendation to establish a personnel licensing office and to hire qualified technical staff, the DCAM indicated that a Personnel Licensing Unit would be established by 31 December 2001 to take charge

11 of all licensing responsibilities and activities within the DCAM. In addition, the recruitment of a licensing controller, a flight crew licensing (FCL) examiner, and an AME licensing examiner is already well under way. b) Validation of action proposed. The Personnel Licensing Section is now established as part of the recent QCAA inception. A senior personnel licensing officer has been appointed and has received adequate training to administer the related tasks. One ground examiner and one flight examiner assist the personnel licensing officer and are both full-time QCAA employees. The organizational structure and licensing procedures clearly indicate the tasks, functions and responsibilities of QCAA staff in all matters relating to personnel licensing processes. The ICAO recommendation has been complied with a) Action proposed by State. Concerning the need to amend the Flight Crew Licensing Handbook to include procedures relating to all personnel licensing related activities, the DCAM indicated that the Flight Crew Licensing Handbook would be updated and renamed the Personnel Licensing Manual by 30 October The manual would include procedures related to all personnel licensing activities, such as licence application processing, designation of examiners and the duties and responsibilities of personnel involved in licensing and training activities. Provisions on flight crew licensing would be incorporated in Section 1 of the manual, while provisions on matters other than flight crew licensing would be included in Section 2. b) Validation of action proposed. A new personnel licensing handbook has been developed and now contains procedures related to personnel licensing activities. In addition, application forms and examiner guidelines have also been established. The ICAO recommendation has been complied with a) Action proposed by State. With respect to the recommendation to revise the appeal procedures to prevent the appearance of conflict of interest, the DCAM indicated that the new Civil Aviation Act of 2001, to be in effect by 30 September 2001, would include a proper process for appealing DCAM decisions on licensing activities. b) Validation of action proposed. The new Law No. 15 of 2002 establishes two levels of appeals and related procedures. The first level of appeal is technical and internal to the QCAA. In this context, a licence holder, an operator or any certificate holder can appeal to the Chairman of the QCAA if he or she is not satisfied with a decision made by a QCAA official including the Chairman. If still not satisfied, a government administrative appeal procedure allows for a second level of appeal whereby the certificate holder may appeal to a special government office. The Chairman of the QCAA foresees the establishment of a system, in the near future, for the delegation of authority to the Director of Aviation Safety and the aviation safety inspectors in order to split licensing and certification activities and appealing functions. The ICAO recommendation has been complied with.

12 a) Action proposed by State. With respect to the need to establish a system for the designation and supervision of medical examiners as well as procedures to address issues regarding medical assessments, the DCAM indicated that, by 31 December 2001, the Personnel Licensing Manual would include the procedures for the designation and supervision of medical examiners, including the criteria for selection, training and duties of medical examiners. A medical examiner would also be appointed to carry out the duties of a DCAM medical assessor. The need for procedures to deal with false medical declarations made by applicants would be addressed by 30 September 2001 by an amendment to the QCARs, Part I, Volume 3, paragraph (b) and in the Personnel Licensing Manual. Furthermore, the DCAM indicated that it would amend and update the QCARs, Part I, Volume 3 to include provisions dealing with the issuance of a medical assessment in cases where the medical assessment provisions for licensing are not fully met and also specifying the period and circumstances under which a medical examination may be deferred. b) Validation of action proposed. Requirements and procedures for the designation of medical examiners have been established in the QCAR-MED, which also establishes medical standards for various licences, classes of medical assessment, requirements and conditions for medical assessment for each class, as well as validity of the medical certificates. The QCAR-MED also contains requirements concerning experience, training and responsibilities of authorized medical examiners. Furthermore, the QCAA has established a system for the designation and supervision of the aviation medicine examiners, as well as a system for reporting results to the QCAA, and has designated a total of seven aviation medicine examiners accordingly. With respect to technical matters, the QCAA is assisted by a senior aviation medicine examiner located in Qatar. In addition, an established cooperation programme with the United Kingdom CAA allows for any additional advice in respect to issuing exemptions or other specific cases. The ICAO recommendation has been complied with a) Action proposed by State. Regarding the need to establish adequate procedures to administer licensing-related examinations and guidelines for the designation of examiners, the DCAM indicted that, by 30 September 2001, the Personnel Licensing Manual would include procedures for the effective administration, control and supervision of licensing-related examinations. An examiner would also be recruited to prepare, conduct and correct all examinations. b) Validation of action proposed. The QCAA has recruited a ground examiner responsible for the preparation, administration and control of theoretical examinations. Concerning the practical examinations, the QCAA has also recruited a flight examiner responsible for the surveillance of the only training organization in Qatar and monitoring of practical training programmes, as well as the control and supervision of the designated examiners for intermediate practical examinations only. A licensing procedures manual and adequate guidelines for examiners have been established by the QCAA, and all final theoretical and practical examinations are conducted by QCAA staff. The ICAO recommendation has been complied with.

13 a) Action proposed by State. With respect to the recommendation to establish procedures for the approval, control and supervision of the training institutes and aviation schools in Qatar, the DCAM indicated that the Approved Training Organization Inspection Manual would be produced by 30 August 2001 which would provide the procedures and guidelines for inspection and supervision of all approved flight training organizations and type rating training organizations. The Personnel Licensing Unit would also be given the responsibility of inspecting and approving the flight training organizations used by Qatari licence holders by the end of December b) Validation of action proposed. The QCAA has established a system for the certification and inspection of aviation training centers, which is part of the QCAR-FCL requirements recently implemented. The system includes requirements and procedures for the designation of instructors taking in consideration their qualifications and competency, and also procedures for approving and supervising approved training. There is currently only one training organization in Qatar, which is located in Doha, approved for the training of pilots up to commercial pilot licence (CPL) multi-engine rating. The ground and flight examiners employed by the QCAA carry out the surveillance programme, consisting of random and scheduled inspections of facilities, training courses and supervision of instructors and examiners. Concerning the type rating activity usually carried out abroad, the QCAA endorses the approval of the CAA where the training center is located, and in addition to the surveillance carried out by the local CAA, the QCAA conducts a monitoring programme in line with the monitoring of the flight crew training programme. The staff of the QCAA always conducts the final examinations. The ICAO recommendation has been complied with. 4.4 Aircraft operations certification and supervision a) Action proposed by State. With respect to the need to recruit and retain an adequate number of qualified operations personnel needed to fulfil its safety oversight responsibilities, the DCAM indicated in its action plan that an additional flight operations inspector would be recruited by 31 December b) Validation of action proposed. The QCAA has established a department responsible for the certification and surveillance of air operators. The organizational chart and the Operations Inspector Handbook establish the tasks, functions and responsibilities of this department. In addition, the QCAA has launched a vast recruitment programme and is able to offer conditions of employment and remuneration comparable to those existing in the industry at an international level. The recruitment of an additional operations inspector is still ongoing, and the Head of the Flight Operations Section has not yet been appointed. The ICAO recommendation remains open. Note. Subsequent to the audit follow-up mission, the QCAA submitted an update on 20 December 2003 indicating that it has recently employed an operations inspector and is in the process of recruiting additional operations staff.

14 a) Action proposed by State. Concerning the recommendation to require operators to establish the duties and responsibilities of the flight operations officers/flight dispatchers and to include them in the operations manual, the DCAM indicated that all AOC holders would be required to establish in their operations manuals the duties, responsibilities and professional standards of their flight operations officers by 30 September Differences between the QCARs and Annex provisions relating to flight operations officers and/or flight dispatchers would be notified to ICAO by 30 August b) Validation of action proposed. Requirements concerning training, duties and responsibilities of flight operations officers/flight dispatchers have been incorporated in the QCARs applicable to aircraft operations. The QCAA does not issue licences to flight operations officers/flight dispatchers, but the policy of the only authorized national operator is to recruit only licensed flight operations officers/flight dispatchers. Newly recruited licensed flight operations officers/flight dispatchers are provided with specific training and OJT approved by the QCAA and carried out in house. The ICAO recommendation has been complied with a) Action proposed by State. With respect to the recommendation to include requirements for the operator not to assign a pilot-in-command unless that pilot has made at least three take-offs and landings within the preceding ninety days, the DCAM indicated that the QCARs, Part 1, paragraph (JAR-FLC 1.026) and the QCARs, Part 6, paragraph (JAR-FCL 1.970) address this requirement, with the exception that they both allow for take-offs and landings to be carried out in flight simulators. The difference regarding the use of an approved simulator for recency requirements would be notified to ICAO by 31 August b) Validation of action proposed. The QCARs provide for recency requirements for both pilot-in command and co-pilot. It specifies that an operator shall not assign a pilot to act as pilot-in-command of an aeroplane unless, on the same type of aeroplane within the preceding ninety days, that pilot has made at least three take-offs and landings. However, the operator may comply with recency requirements by using a flight simulator. The QCAA has already notified ICAO of a difference on this subject. The ICAO recommendation remains open. Note. Subsequent to the audit follow-up mission, the QCAA submitted an update on 20 December 2003 indicating that it is currently in the process of reviewing its requirements to align them with the ICAO SARPs a) Action proposed by State. With respect to the need to establish regulations specifying the limitations applicable to the flight time and duty periods for flight and cabin crews, the DCAM indicated that limitations to the flight time and duty periods of both flight crew and cabin crew are stipulated in the Flight Time Limitation for Flight and Cabin Crew Scheme which was published in ICAO Circular 52-AN/47/6, Sixth Edition, This scheme, along with the requirements for its implementation, would be incorporated into the QCARs, Part 6, Volumes 1, 2 and 3 by 30 September 2001.

15 b) Validation of action proposed. QCAR-OPS 1, Sub-part Q contains regulations applicable to flight time and duty periods for flight and cabin crew members. In addition, the operator is required by regulations to introduce these limitations in the operations manual, as well as the crew scheduling rules, and to establish a system to ensure compliance with applicable regulations. The ICAO recommendation has been complied with a) Action proposed by State. Concerning the recommendation to amend the regulations to incorporate the provisions of Annex 18 and the Technical Instructions for the safe transport of dangerous goods by air, the DCAM indicated that the subject of the safe transport of dangerous goods by air is covered in the QCARs, Part 6, Volume 1 (JAR-OPS 1, Subpart R). Training courses on dangerous goods would be provided to flight operations inspectors by 31 December b) Validation of action proposed. Provisions of the ICAO Doc 9284 Technical Instructions have been introduced by reference in Law No. 15 of 2002 and QCAR-OPS 1. Law No. 15 of 2002 also contains enforcement provisions and penalties relating to various violations. The Flight Operations Section is the entity responsible for approving the training programmes for AOC holders as well as for responding to queries from operators and shippers. Two operations inspectors have received adequate training. With respect to AOC holders, dangerous goods procedures and training programmes have been incorporated into the operations manual and crew training has been approved by the QCAA. The ICAO recommendation has been complied with a) Action proposed by State. With regard to the need to establish requirements and procedures for the delegation of tasks and the supervision and control of delegated inspection and supervision functions, the DCAM indicated that the Flight Operations Inspection Manual would establish, by 30 October 2001, a mechanism for the control and supervision of designated examiners who carry out supervision and inspection duties on behalf of the DCAM. b) Validation of action proposed. The QCAA does not delegate any part of its surveillance programme to certified operators, and QCAA flight operations inspectors carry out ground and en-route inspections as well as the approval and monitoring of crew training programmes. The ICAO recommendation has been complied with a) Action proposed by State. Regarding the recommendation to include a requirement in the system for certification of air operators to allow for the evaluation of financial viability, the DCAM indicated that the air transport licensing regulations to be developed as part of the QCARs, Part 6, would require, by 30 December 2001, an evaluation of the financial viability of air operators as part of the certification process. In addition, the Flight Operations Inspection Manual would also require an evaluation of financial viability as part of the initial certification process for air operators as well as the continuing surveillance and monitoring of the financial conditions of AOC holders. The DCAM also indicated that, at the same time,

16 periodic inspection and financial assessments would become part of the annual inspection programme of AOC holders. Other specialized DCAM departments would take part in the evaluation process, as required. b) Validation of action proposed. Two operators have been certified by the QCAA, one operating on international routes using large aircraft and the other operating helicopters on regional routes. Follow-up on the financial situation of AOC holders is part of the surveillance programme established by the QCAA according to QCAR-OPS 1 and QCAR-OPS 3. The ICAO recommendation has been complied with. 4.5 Airworthiness of aircraft a) Action proposed by State. With regard to the recommendation that the Government of Qatar should enable the Director of the DCAM to recruit and retain adequately qualified personnel and that a document be developed specifying the duties and responsibilities of airworthiness inspectors, the DCAM indicated that once the Civil Aviation Act of 2001 is ratified, the Director of Civil Aviation will be authorized to recruit and retain an adequate number of qualified and experienced airworthiness inspectors, including avionics inspectors, by 30 December It also indicated that the specific duties and responsibilities of the airworthiness inspectors would be defined in the Inspection Manual of Aviation Safety Inspectors (Airworthiness) by 30 September b) Validation of action proposed. The Airworthiness Section has initiated an intensive recruitment process which has almost been completed, as candidates for the various positions have been selected. However, none of the positions has been filled and the Airworthiness Section is still managed by only one inspector. The Airworthiness Section has developed an inspector manual based on ICAO Doc 9760 Airworthiness Manual, which contains a detailed structure of the Airworthiness Section including detailed descriptions of the duties and responsibilities for the newly established positions. However, with the foreseeable extension of the fleet of the main air operator, including new aircraft types such as the Airbus A380, the Airworthiness Section should further review its capability to properly discharge its responsibilities. A review of the inspector manual revealed that further amplification is required as relevant guidance material and checklists of the JARs are being used but not addressed in the manual. The ICAO recommendation remains open. Note. Subsequent to the audit follow-up mission, the QCAA submitted an update on 20 December 2003 indicating that the recruitment process is currently ongoing; however, the QCAA has already recruited two additional airworthiness inspectors and is seeking the recruitment of a third airworthiness inspector a) Action proposed by State. Regarding the need to establish requirements for all aircraft to comply with noise certification standards and carry on board noise certificates, the DCAM indicated that, by 30 September 2001, it would establish and

17 publish the QCARs, Part 16, Volume 1 Aircraft Noise which would incorporate the relevant ICAO SARPs, thereby requiring all aircraft to comply with noise certification Standards as well as to carry noise certificates on board. Qatar noise certificates would also be amended to reflect the new QCARs. b) Validation of action proposed. The QCAA has issued QCAR Part 16, Volume 1 Aircraft Noise. This QCAR clearly requires aircraft to comply with the said noise regulation and to carry the noise certificate on board the aircraft. Qatar noise certificates have been updated and refer to the new QCAR. The ICAO recommendation has been complied with a) Action proposed by State. Concerning the need to develop an effective system to receive, transmit and track operator compliance with mandatory continuing airworthiness information, the DCAM indicated that a system for receiving and transmitting mandatory continuing airworthiness information, such as ADs and service bulletins, would be established by 1 October 2001, along with a computerized databank to be controlled by the Airworthiness Unit and made available to all airworthiness inspectors. All mandatory continuing airworthiness information disseminated to operators would be assigned a dissemination control number for inspectors to easily verify compliance action and the date it is undertaken by operators. Furthermore, the DCAM indicated that it would carry out the verification, inspection and examination of compliance with mandatory continuing airworthiness information during the Certificate of Maintenance Review Audit of the operator s maintenance programme, conducted every four months or upon completion of the compliance period. In addition, an AV-DATA AD Tracker would be installed by 30 August 2001 to support verification of applicable ADs made mandatory by the DCAM. The formal procedures for receiving, transmitting and tracking mandatory continuing airworthiness information would be established and published in the Inspection Manual of Aviation Safety Inspectors (Airworthiness) by 30 September b) Validation of action proposed. Subscriptions have been arranged to receive ADs for aircraft/equipment used in Qatar on a biweekly schedule. Furthermore, the Internet is used to follow-up ADs issued by the State of Design. Upon review of newly published AD notes, the ICAO audit follow-up team confirmed that the QCAA transfers the ADs to the operator and requires feedback on compliance/non-compliance. Further verification of compliance is carried out at the renewal of the certificate of airworthiness. The actual AD status of each aircraft is kept in the aircraft file as well as documentation concerning major modifications and repairs. The ICAO recommendation has been complied with a) Action proposed by State. With respect to the need to establish requirements for specific operating provisions, such as ETOPS, required navigation performance (RNP), minimum navigation performance specifications (MNPS), as well as Category (CAT) II and CAT III maintenance requirements, the DCAM indicated that this issue would be addressed in the QCARs, Part 6, Volume 1 Commercial Operations (Aeroplanes), Volume 2 General Aviation (Aeroplanes), and

18 Volume 3 Commercial Operations (Helicopters), and QCAR-All Weather Operations (AWO) by 30 September The DCAM also indicted that, at the same time, approvals related to the specific operating provisions for ETOPS, RNP, MNPS, CAT II and CAT III would be issued by the DCAM in the AOC in accordance with the QCARs. Meanwhile, mandatory DCAM airworthiness notices would be established and published by 30 September 2001, to formally adopt the following for compliance by operators prior to carrying out any operations that require specific operating approvals: AC /JAA Information Leaflet No. 20 for ETOPS; ICAO Doc 9613 for RNP; ICAO Doc 7030/4 for MNPS; JAA Temporary Guidance Leaflet Nos. 12 and 23 for AWO (CAT II and CAT III). b) Validation of action proposed. QCARs, Part 6 covers the maintenance aspects of operations such as ETOPS, AWO, RNP and MNPS. Relevant approvals including maintenance aspects are annexed to the AOC. Furthermore, Airworthiness Notice No. 18 All Weather Operations/Maintenance Aspects and Airworthiness Notice No. 27 ETOPS/Maintenance Requirements have been issued to provide further details and procedures for the approval process. Operators are required to establish an ETOPS manual, and ETOPS aspects need to be covered in the relevant maintenance programme. These manuals are kept in the Airworthiness Section and were found to adhere to ICAO guidance material. The ICAO recommendation has been complied with a) Action proposed by State. With respect to the recommendation to establish a programme to approve and maintain ongoing oversight of maintenance reliability programmes for air operators, the DCAM indicated that the Inspection Manual of Aviation Safety Inspectors (Airworthiness) would establish and outline, by 30 September 2001, a programme to approve and maintain ongoing oversight of maintenance reliability programmes of Qatari operators, including guidelines and procedures for approving any changes the maintenance programme and for programme escalation. b) Validation of action proposed. Chapter 6 of the newly developed Airworthiness Inspector Manual contains detailed requirements and guidance for the approval of reliability programmes. The reliability programme for the fleet of the major operator is described in the relevant technical procedures manual (TPM) and is explicitly approved by the Airworthiness Section. The relevant part of the TPM was reviewed by the ICAO audit follow-up team and was found to meet all ICAO requirements. Comprehensive reliability reports are prepared by the operator every three months, submitted to the QCAA, reviewed and kept by the Airworthiness Section. Chapter 6 of the Airworthiness Inspector Manual contains further detailed procedures for the approval of maintenance programme amendments and escalations which are kept by the Airworthiness Section. The ICAO recommendation has been complied with a) Action proposed by State. With respect to the need to establish sufficient manpower and resources for the conduct of continuing supervision of maintenance and engineering activities of AOC holders, including maintenance subcontractors, and the need to establish a formal schedule for these audits, the DCAM indicated