Guernsey issued its first Air Operators Certificate (AOC) here at EBACE. It took a year of work by its Civil Aviation office to change the laws of the Crown Dependency to allow granting of such permits.
“We started the journey after EBACE last year,” said Gus Paterson, Guernsey’s Director of Civil Aviation. “People said, ‘It would be great if you could give us an AOC.’ So we went back and arranged a primary legislation change, and implemented it.” Though geographically within the EU, Guernsey is independent and not a party to EASA regulations, one of the factors making it an attractive registry for operators, Paterson said.
To facilitate the certification process, Guernsey has established a public-private partnership with 2-Reg (Booth S044), an offshore provider of aviation registration and safety certification services, now charged with handling all facets of AOC issuance short of approval. In addition to Guernsey, 2-Reg has offices in Amsterdam and Singapore, and has registered more than 115 aircraft since commencing operations in 2013.
Another advantage for aircraft operators is the speed at which AOCs can be arranged. “We’re the only registry completely outsourced,” Paterson said. “Our main focus is on getting aircraft flying, whereas a lot of other places, the focus is to stop aircraft from flying. If we can get the law changed in less than a year, obviously there are a lot of other things we can do.”
Both Paterson and Joost Groenenboom, director of 2-Reg, emphasized Guernsey maintains the same safety standards as other internationally recognized registries, but is more responsive to the needs of registrants. “Our office doesn’t publish hours; we work 24/7,” Paterson said. “If you need to change [registry] in the middle of the night, we will get it done in the middle of the night.” He noted that Guernsey is also a financial center, and getting aircraft financing and registration on the island can often be handled as a turnkey transaction. Private, corporate and commercial aircraft are all eligible for registry in Guernsey, regardless of where they are based.
Here at EBACE, the first AOC was issued to UK-based Volare Aviation, which operates Bombardier Challengers. “I’ve been involved with a few AOC setups,” said Paul Wood, Volare’s chief pilot, citing experience with EASA and JAR certifications. “This [registration process] was as complex, thorough and robust as any I’ve worked on in the world.”