An air operator's certificate (AOC) is the approval granted by a national aviation authority (NAA) 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 region.

Categories

AOCs can be granted for one or more of the following activities:

Low capacity operations is when operating aircraft with under 38 passenger seats, high capacity is above that.

Requirements

The requirements for obtaining an AOC vary from country to country, but are generally defined as: