New Manage Personnel Licences service launching Monday 30 March for ROCC holders and examiners - covering AGCS, OCS, PARA and CDO categories. Restricted ROCC (FDD) not included.
We’ve launched an internal Customer Experience and Modernisation (CX&M) programme, aimed at transforming experiences for customers who interact with the Civil Aviation Authority and use the services we provide.
One of our programme's first initiatives is the MASLO project.
MASLO
MASLO stands for Modernising Aviation Services: Licensing and Oversight.
Our MASLO project aims to revolutionise how our customers interact with our licensing services. We’ve designed a new digital service called the ‘Manage Personnel Licences’ service, which makes it simple for licence holders and their organisations to manage personnel licences.
Our initial focus of the project will be on the following areas:
- Air Traffic Services (ATS) licensing
- Flight Crew Licensing (FCL) for professional pilots
- Flight Crew Licensing (FCL) for private pilots
- Aircraft Maintenance Licensing (AML)
The Manage Personnel Licences service aims to be a single solution for all personnel licensing customers, but we will roll it out to each licensing service area individually as part of this multi-year project.
The project is also developing a Digital Personnel Licence (DPL) which will eventually replace paper licences.
The Manage Personnel Licences Service
Once fully implemented, the new Manage Personnel Licences service will allow individuals and organisations to apply for, view, and manage licences and certificates online.
- Individual licence holders will be able to apply for, view and manage their own licences and records
- Employers will be able to view and manage their employees’ licences, including making applications on their behalf
- Training organisations will be able to notify the CAA of upcoming training courses and log the outcome of training courses
- Examiners, Instructors and Assessors will be able to record the result of examinations and assessments
- Application tracking will allow individuals and organisations to monitor application progress
- Automated system reminders will flag privileges that are due to expire and notify licence holders and their organisation to support compliance.
Service launch for ROCC holders and examiners
The first launch of the service is scheduled for Monday 30 March for Radio Operator’s Certificate of Competence (ROCC) holders and examiners. This will include the following ROCC categories:
- Air-ground communications service (AGCS)
- Offshore Communication Service (OCS)
- Parachutists Aeronautical Radio Station (PARA)
- Clearance Delivery Officer (CDO)
Note: The Restricted ROCC – Flying Display Directors (FDD) category is not included.
Information on ROCC categories and general guidance is available on our ROCC advice for licence applicants page.
Second service release
The second release will be for Student Air Traffic Controllers, followed by Air Traffic Controllers (ATCOs).
Digital Personnel Licences (DPL)
In Spring 2025, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) conducted a public consultation on proposed amendments to UK regulations to allow personnel licences and medical certificates to be recognised in either physical or electronic formats. This consultation represents the initial step towards enabling Digital Personnel Licensing (DPL) in the future.
The consultation response document is available online: Consultation on changes to UK Regulations recognising physical or electronic format personnel licences and medical certificates (Citizen Space).
Since the consultation, the CAA has been working with the Department for Transport (DfT) to progress the necessary legislative changes. The legislative changes only are expected to be completed in Summer 2026.
Technical development of a digital licence solution has not yet started. As such, no further information on implementation timescales is currently available.
We will engage with industry once the development and delivery activities begin and will update this page as new information becomes available. Please check back regularly for further updates and opportunities to get involved in user research.
Key Information
Advance notice of upcoming changes
Engagement with impacted stakeholders began in August 2024 and has continued throughout the project. Since then, we have carried out user research with representatives from across the industry, alongside targeted engagement activities.
Most recently, we issued a Skywise update announcing the upcoming launch date and providing additional information to help prepare for the next phase.
We will continue to issue Skywise notices and update this webpage ahead of each release.
Accessing the new service
The new Manage Personnel Licences service will be accessed through the existing CAA Customer Portal.
Device compatibility – phone, tablet, laptop
The service is being designed for use across multiple devices including desktops, laptops, tablets, and mobile phones.
Requirement for internet access
An internet connection will be required to log into the CAA Customer Portal and access the Manage Personnel Licences service. There will be no offline version.
Project phases completed to date
2024
August – October: Personnel Licensing Discovery
We conducted an 8-week discovery, holding research sessions with a cross section of personnel licensing customers to understand their needs and pain points in the current process. We spoke to 59 customers including airlines, maintenance organisations, Air Navigation Service Providers, and individual licence holders. We also attended the LAA Rally to conduct pop up research with GA pilots.
October - November: ATS Discovery
We conducted a 6-week deep dive discovery focused on Air Traffic Services, to fully understand challenges and opportunities for improvement in ATS licensing. We conducted further user research with Air Navigation Service Providers, Initial Training Organizations, and individual ATCOs, FISOs and ROCC holders.
2024 - 2025
November 2024 – March 2025: ATS Alpha
We tested ideas to address the feedback we received during our discovery phases. We built several prototypes for the new digital ATS service and handed these over to our customers. Each month we held user research sessions to test our concepts and iterated them based on feedback. In total we conducted 4 rounds of extensive user research covering concepts for payments, submitting licensing applications, viewing licensing records and digital licences.
2025 - 2026
April 2025 – Spring 2026: ATS Beta
We are currently building out the ATS licensing solution from a prototype into the final system, with the aim of rolling out the new service to ROCC holders and examiners on 30 March 2026.
Project timelines: what’s coming up next
Monday 30 March 2026
Manage Personnel Licences Service rolled out for Radio Operator's Certificate of Competence (ROCC) holders and examiners.
April 2026 - Spring 2027
Manage Personnel Licences Service rolled out for the various applications relevant to Air Traffic Controllers (ATCOs), starting with Student Air Traffic Controllers.
Summer 2026
Changes to UK regulations enabling the issue of digital licences and certificates comes into force.
Late 2026
Technical design work for digital licences commences.
2027
Design work for expanding the Manage Personnel Licences Service to commercial pilots commences.
Following initial implementation for Air Traffic Services (ATS) licences, the service is expected to expand over the next few years to support commercial pilots, general aviation pilots, and aircraft engineers. Further updates and timelines will be provided as the project progresses.
Guidance materials
An overview of the account view for ROCC Examiners in the new Manage Personnel Licences service is available in this short demonstration.
Detailed written guidance coming soon.
How to get involved
The CAA is investing in user research to ensure our new licensing service truly meets the needs of our customers. As such, your feedback is crucial and will directly shape the future of our licensing service
Useful Links
- Contact the MASLO Team at CX@caa.co.uk