How to obtain an Air Operator’s License in Cameroon

How to Obtain an Air Operator’s License in Cameroon An air operator’s certificate (AOC) is the approval granted by a civil aviation authority (CAA) to an aircraft operator to allow it to use aircraft for commercial purposes. This requires the operator to have personnel, assets, and system in place to ensure the safety of its employees and the general public. The certificate will list the aircraft types, and registrations to be used, for what purpose, and in what area – specific airports or geographic regions. How to Obtain an Air Operator’s License in Cameroon

To operate as an air transporter in Cameroon, a company or an organization must obtain an Air Operator’s License and an Air Operator’s Certificate from the CCAA.

An Air Operator’s Licence is a document granted to a company /firm or organization by the Cameroon Civil Aviation Authority (CCAA), authorizing it to carry out, against payment of a fee, air transportation of passengers, mail and/or fright as indicated on the license.

The said document attests that a company /firm or organization has satisfied the legal, financial, economic, and moral conditions required by the regulations in force. To obtain an Air Operator’s Licence, an enterprise has to address a request to the attention of the Director General of the CCAA specifying the kind of air transport activity (regular/Scheduled, non-regular/chattered, or Cargo flights) it intends to operate.

Apart from the above request, the enterprise will have to submit the following information and documents which will permit the CCAA to evaluate the viability and profitability of the project:

1. Name and address of the head office of the enterprise;

1. A duly registered statute of the enterprise;

1. Organization chart with the names and qualifications of the managers responsible for operations, maintenance, training, operations on the ground, and flight safety;

1. List of aircraft to be operated and volume of activity envisaged;

1. Description of planned operation including zones, routes, airport of destination and alternative airports, and the main base of operation;

1. Projections on traffic and revenue for the first three years;

1. An economic study of routes taking into consideration the cost of operation of the aircraft type to be used;

1. A marketing strategy that the enterprise intents to adopt;

1. Provisional operations accounts and balance sheets of the enterprise for the first three years;

1. Disposition took with regards to offices, acquisition or lease of aircraft, its maintenance, and insurance policy;

1. Provisional expenses on fuel, tariffs, mass salaries, aircraft lease, maintenance, aeronautical charges, tax, insurance, and training;

1. Date of commencement of operations and details of the take-off cost including the source of financing;

1. Financial guarantee to cover the cost of operations for the first six months of activities. Upon reception of the preliminary request, the Director General forwards it to the Air Transport Division of the CCAA where the Service for Authorisations carries out an analysis of the legal, economic and financial aspects of the project to conclude on its viability and profitability. If the analysis shows that the request is receivable, a certification commission made up of personnel from the following departments directly concerned with the certification of an airline is set up, Air Transport and Regulation, Air Security, and Flight Safety. The CCAA then invites the prospective operator and its designated persons for a presentation of the project to the CCAA who in turn enlightens the applicant on the applicable regulations and the activities involved in the certification process.

If the commission is convinced based on the documents submitted and the presentation given that the project is viable, a recommendation is made to the Director General for the article of association and other corporate documents to be forwarded to the General Delegation for National Security for administrative investigation on the shareholders to establish the moral guarantee.

If the outcome of the above-mentioned investigation is favorable, a report proposing the issuance of an Air Operator’s License is submitted for the appreciation of General Manager.

It is important to note that this document alone does not give a company or an organization an air carrier’s title in Cameroon.

After obtaining a license, the company/organization will have to obtain an Air Operator’s Certificate from the CCAA before it can operate as an air carrier in Cameroon. (See Decree № 2003/2031/PM of 04 September 2003 Relative to the exercise of air transport profession in Cameroon, its subsequent modification of 2012 and Instruction №000355/CCAA/DG/DSA of 09 August 2009 relative to the acquisition of air transporter certificate in Cameroon.)

Article by CHUO ANGABUA JUNIOR

PRIME-TIME LAW OFFICES

‘’The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. We insist specialist advice be sought depending on your specific circumstance’’