The Civil Aviation Authority of Macao SAR (AACM) has completed the approval process of the application for the aerodrome certification filed in by the Administration of Airports, Ltd. (ADA). The Authority granted the aerodrome certificate to ADA on 22 July 2014, which is a new certificate issued to Macau International Airport after the effective implementation of Administrative Regulation No. 18/2012 that stipulates aerodrome certification.
Administrative Regulation No. 18/2012 has become effective since June 2012, which has then built up a higher-level legal framework governing the requirements of certification and the conditions of operations of civil airports and empowering AACM to conduct regular inspections and renew the aerodrome certificate. In accordance with the requirement, the application for aerodrome certification must be submitted to AACM within six months after the implementation of the above regulation. ADA filed in their application in December 2012 after which AACM initiated the approval process. As part of the assessment, the Authority reviewed the documents including the operations manual, the security programme, the personnel training programme, other operational documents and so on in a strict and thoroughly detailed manner to check their compliance with the respective regulations and the aeronautical circular relating to airport operations. The Authority also performed on-site audit in the airport and has requested ADA to correct the findings spotted in the audit.
AACM has now concluded the approval process. The Authority confirmed that the operator has successfully passed the assessment and granted them the aerodrome certificate, a new certificate to be granted after the implementation of the said regulation. The certificate has a validity of five years after which ADA has to submit to the Authority the application for renewal. AACM will continue to carry out its safety oversight of the airport by performing regular audits and inspections.
When Macau International Airport commenced its operations in 1995, its technical approval was assessed by International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Before the Administrative Regulation No. 18/2012 was put into force, AACM carried out the yearly audits and inspections on the airport to ensure its operational safety by following the Convention on International Civil Aviation and the ICAO standards. With the publication of Annex 14 Revision 4 of the aforementioned Convention, member states and administrations are required to formulate a legal framework to process aerodrome certification. To comply with this requirement, AACM set off their studies on the drafting of the regulation and solicited opinions of the industry during the legislative process. The process was eventually concluded in 2012 and Administrative Regulation No. 18/2012 was published and put into effect.
AACM also granted the new aerodrome certificate to the Heliport at the Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal in August 2013 in accordance with the above administrative regulation.
