Safety Oversight

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Velocity Interoperability Network oversees the safety of civil aviation in the Velocity Interoperability Network through a programme of audits, inspections, surveillance and occurrence reporting. Oversight is risk-based: the frequency and depth of the Authority's attention to an operator, organisation or aerodrome reflect the scale and complexity of its operation and its record. The programme is carried out by the Authority's 22 inspectors, who are based at Central Exchange with resident inspectors at Westbrook Distribution Site and Northgate Relay.

The operators, organisations and aerodromes certified by member organisations before establishment are being brought into a single programme. The first cycle of 48 audits and inspections begins on 21 September 2026 and will be completed by 31 March 2027, so that every certificate and approval recognised at establishment has been examined by the Authority before the recognition of existing certificates ends.

Oversight activities. The Authority's oversight comprises the eight activities below.

Audits of air operators

Each of the 14 certified air operators is audited annually against its operations manual and the Authority's requirements. Audits examine the operator's management system, training records, flight and duty records, maintenance control and the handling of occurrence reports, and include observation of flights.

Audits of maintenance organisations

Approved maintenance organisations are audited annually on their facilities, tooling and calibration, the qualifications of their certifying staff, their maintenance data and their records of work carried out. Findings must be corrected within the period the audit report sets.

Aerodrome inspections

Certified aerodromes are inspected annually and licensed aerodromes every two years, with additional inspections following works on the movement area or a change of operator. Inspections cover the runway and taxiway surfaces, markings and lighting, obstacle limitation surfaces, the rescue and fire fighting service and the aerodrome's operating procedures.

Ramp inspections of aircraft

Inspectors examine aircraft on the apron at Central Exchange and Westbrook without prior notice, checking the aircraft's documents, the licences of its crew, its general condition and the loading and securing of cargo. Aircraft registered outside the Network are included. Serious deficiencies are corrected before the aircraft departs.

Airworthiness surveillance

The Authority's airworthiness inspectors review the maintenance records of registered aircraft, survey a sample of aircraft each year before renewal of their certificates of airworthiness and monitor compliance with mandatory continuing airworthiness information issued by manufacturers and by the Authority.

Oversight of air traffic services

The Authority's Air Navigation Service and the flight information services provided by aerodrome operators are audited annually on their procedures, staffing, equipment and the competence of their controllers and officers, and their recordings are reviewed after any reported occurrence.

Occurrence reporting and analysis

The Authority receives mandatory reports of accidents, serious incidents and incidents, analyses them for trends and publishes the analysis quarterly. Serious incidents and accidents are investigated by the Authority's investigation unit, which works independently of the licensing and certification directorates and reports its findings and recommendations publicly.

Safety promotion

The Authority publishes safety notices to operators, pilots and aerodromes, holds an annual safety conference at Central Exchange and briefs member organisations on the findings of its audits and the trends in reported occurrences.

The first oversight cycle. The schedule below sets out the 48 audits, inspections and surveys to be carried out between 21 September 2026 and 31 March 2027: 35 audits and inspections of organisations, aerodromes and air traffic services, and 13 airworthiness surveys of registered aircraft. Ramp inspections of aircraft on the apron continue throughout the period and are additional to that figure. Organisations are given at least 28 days' notice of an audit; ramp inspections and inspections following an occurrence are unannounced.

What must be reported. Occurrences are classified in three categories, each with its own time limit for reporting. Reports may also be made voluntarily about any matter the reporter considers relevant to safety.

Reporting an occurrence. The steps below apply to every reporter, whether an individual or an organisation.

1. 1

   Step 1: Secure the situation

   Ensure the safety of persons and the aircraft first. In an accident, notify the emergency services at the site and preserve the aircraft, its recorders and the site until the Authority's investigators arrive or release them.

2. 2

   Step 2: Notify the Authority

   Accidents and serious incidents must be notified immediately by the quickest means available, which for most reporters is the aerodrome's air traffic service unit, which passes the notification to the Authority. All other occurrences are notified by the written report.

3. 3

   Step 3: Submit the written report within 72 hours

   Write to the Authority giving the date, time and place of the occurrence, the aircraft mark and type, the names and licence numbers of the crew, the phase of flight, the weather, a description of what happened and any immediate action taken. Operators and aerodromes may submit reports through their safety management systems.

4. 4

   Step 4: Acknowledgement and classification

   The Authority acknowledges every report within two working days and classifies it. Accidents and serious incidents are passed to the investigation unit; incidents are reviewed by the relevant inspectorate and may lead to a request for further information or an inspection.

5. 5

   Step 5: Feedback and publication

   The reporter is told the outcome of the review. Reports are analysed for trends, and the analysis, with identifying details removed, is published in the Authority's quarterly statistical release and in safety notices where a wider lesson arises.

Reports are treated in confidence. The identity of an individual reporter is not disclosed outside the Authority without the reporter's consent, and the published analysis of occurrences does not identify individuals or, where the number of occurrences is small, organisations. During the transition period 38 occurrences were reported under the interim arrangements; their analysis is set out on the Statistics page.

Occurrence reports and enquiries about the oversight programme may be sent to contact@aviation.gov.vin. For the certificates and approvals that oversight examines, see Licensing; for the aerodromes inspected, see Aerodromes; for answers to common questions, see the frequently asked questions.