NEW DELHI: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the aviation regulator, has released a draft regulation pertaining to the standards for training and licensing to be adhered to by Approved Training Organisations (ATO) in the country.
These organisations may be permitted to conduct examinations on behalf of the regulator if the infrastructure and quality assurance programmes at these centres are found satisfactory. Stakeholders have been given time till September 25 to respond to the draft.
ATOs are distinguished from non-approved training organisations due to the oversight provided by the regulator. They are mandated to deliver approved training programmes to aviation personnel for the purposes of obtaining licences.
In details presented on its website, the DGCA said, “This Civil Aviation Requirement is issued under Rules 29C, 133A and 133B of the Aircraft Rules 1937 and specifies the requirements to be met by organisations seeking approval as ATOs for aircraft type rating for flight crew.”
Detailing multiple conditions to be followed, the regulator said that a training programme had to be developed for each type of course offered and the DGCA had to approve each programme before it was implemented. A Safety Management System will define safety accountability throughout the approved training programme. Direct accountability for safety on the part of senior management needs to be laid out, the DGCA said.
The training organisation must establish a quality assurance system acceptable to the DGCA. “Accurate, complete and readily accessible records documenting the results of the Quality Assurance Program shall be maintained by the ATO,” it said, adding it had to be retained for a period of five years.
Synthetic flight training, head of training, chief instructor, chief ground instructor, and quality manager are among the mandatory posts an ATO must have. The maximum classroom capacity will be 25 students with provision for video recording of classroom activities too, the regulator said.
The ATO approval would be valid for five years from the date of issue, it said. An ATO certification depends on compliance with the regulations, the DGCA said.