We use necessary cookies to make our website work. We'd also like to use optional cookies to understand how you use it, and to help us improve it.

For more information, please read our cookie policy.

UK Civil Aviation Authority

We would like to hear from you

The CAA is committed to improving how we deliver services, help us by completing a short survey about your experiences today

Pre-application process for UK Approved Training Organisation (ATO) enquiries

The CAA has a structured application and certification procedure.

The CAA has a structured application and certification procedure shown below that starts with a pre-application phase.

Do not complete an ATO application form or make any payment related to an ATO Certificate application until the pre-application phase has been completed and both parties have agreed exactly which registered company name and address, training site addresses, training courses and FSTD(s) used for each course, will require prior approval and be added to your future UK ATO Certificate.

Procedure

The UK CAA’s ATO Application and Certification Procedure has five phases:

  1. Pre-Application (free of charge) including Entity Decision to proceed
  2. Formal Application
  3. Document Evaluation
  4. Demonstration and Inspection
  5. Certification

1)    Pre-Application

To start the (free of charge) pre-application phase of our ATO Application and Certification procedure, we will need the following information. Please respond to these questions by copying and pasting them into an email and sending your answers directly to apply@caa.co.uk  

                      i.        The full name, including any additional trading names, of the legal entity seeking the issue of a UK CAA ATO Certificate.

                     ii.        The entity’s Companies House registration number if incorporated in the UK, or equivalent registration identification if incorporated outside the UK.

                    iii.        The postal address and contact number(s) of the ATO’s intended registered business address or principal place of business. This does not have to be a UK address.

                   iv.         The name and contact details of the person who will be the ATO’s appointed Accountable Manager.

                    v.         The name, position and contact details of the person who will be the ATO’s focal point for further communication during the pre-application phase (if this is not the Accountable Manager designate). After the ATO Certificate has been issued, we will expect to communicate directly with the ATO’s appointed Accountable Manager unless alternative arrangements have been agreed with us first.

                   vi.         The postal address and contact number(s) for all the physical training sites where whole-course training will be carried out (i.e., where each training session will start and finish) under the remit of a UK ATO Certificate.

                  vii.         Clearly defined Training Course titles and the FSTDs intended to be used on each course as required to be added to the UK ATO Certificate. These training courses may need converting from other non-UK ATO certificates that the applicant may hold to better align with UK certification regulations and the CAA’s Scheme of Charges.

                 viii.         The number of full-time equivalent staff to be engaged by the ATO at each site.

                   ix.         The anticipated start date for the delivery of training for the benefit UK Part-FCL pilot licence holders.

                    x.         Copies of any equivalent, relevant, current and valid non-UK issued ATO Certificates and FSTD Qualification Certificates issued to the applicant entity.

After the CAA has received all this information and, most importantly, agreed with the applicant clear definitions, aligned with the CAA’s Scheme of Charges, of all the training bases, training courses and used FSTDs requiring UK approval, the CAA Shared Services Centre team will provide indicative application costs associated with the initial issue of an ATO Certificate.

For ongoing oversight fees, after initial issue of an ATO Certificate, the applicant will need to refer to the UK CAA’s applicable ORS5 No. 446: CAA Scheme of Charges: Personnel Licensing.

Entity Decision

Having received indicative application costs, if the entity decides to continue its application for a UK ATO Certificate, a meeting between the UK CAA and the applicant will be held at a date and venue to be agreed by both parties, either in person at:

Civil Aviation Authority
Aviation House
Beehive Ring Road
Crawley
West Sussex
RH6 0YR
United Kingdom

or virtually by online meeting.

The purpose of this meeting will be to answer any questions the applicant may have, for the CAA to explain what further documentation the applicant will need to submit with its application (such as floor/site plans, photographs, manuals, and key position appointment/nomination forms) and for the CAA to confirm the next steps of the certification procedure.

Also at this point, the CAA’s Flight Op’s team should be able to indicate the time required to complete the ATO certification phase.

2)    Formal Application (followed by phases 3, 4, 5)

If the entity still wishes to continue its application for a UK ATO Certificate, it will need to complete a CAA application form (to be advised at the above meeting) with the above agreed details, submit the required documentation, and pay the applicable fees. Only then will a nominated CAA inspector be allocated to the entity as its Oversight Manager and the remaining phases of the ATO Application and Certification procedure completed.

Further information can be found at: https://www.caa.co.uk/Commercial-industry/Pilot-licences/Training-organisations/Information-for-pilot-training-organisations/

If you need any more information at this stage, send an email to apply@caa.co.uk.