Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority

The Flight Safety Division was created within the Civil Aviation Authority in August 1996 to regulate flight operations and to ensure airworthiness and safety of aircraft in Jamaica.

The Flight Safety Division is responsible for regulatory activity related to safety promotion, development of safety regulations, standards and inspection procedures, Licensing of flight crew, aircraft maintenance engineers, and air traffic controllers, certification and routine inspection of aerodromes and air operators, Passengers' Safety and Aviation Security, surveillance and enforcement and investigation of incidents and accidents.

The Division is staffed by a Director, five (5) operations inspectors, five (5) airworthiness inspectors, two (2) security and one (1) cabin safety inspector who also is a dangerous goods specialist, one (1) licensing officer and two (2) support staff. Technical staff training is done internally through formal and on-the-job training and with formal specialty training courses with Transport Canada, the Federal Aviation Administration, International Air Transport Association, aircraft manufacturers and airline sponsored training. Inspectors are trained on Airbus A340, A310, A300, A320/321, Boeing B-747, B-737, B-727, Douglas DC-8, DC-9, MD83, Bombardier DHC8, SD360, DHC-6, Dornier Do228, Beech King Air series, Cessna Citation, various light aircraft including most Cessna, Beech and Piper singles and twins, and helicopters including the Bell 206 and military helicopters. Both Operations and Airworthiness Inspectors hold type ratings on the transport category aircraft and remain current on most types operated in Jamaica.

OPERATIONS

This section is responsible for:

I.	Certification, inspection and surveillance of:
	a.	Jamaican Air Operators;
	b.	Foreign air operators in Jamaica;
	c.	Overseas facilities which are used by Jamaican registered aircraft;
	d.	Aerodromes and airports;
	e.	The security programmes of air operators, airport and aerodrome operators;
	f.	Agencies handling dangerous goods carried by aircraft.
II.		Maintenance and development of regulations and standards that will ensure continued compliance with changing international safety standards.
III.		Maintenance of a technical library comprising of air operators' company manuals.
IV.		Safety Promotion and Safety Awareness as accident prvention activities.
V.		Licensing, examing and flight testing of flight crew members.
Fostering the development and growth of the aviation sector in Jamaica.

AIRWORTHINESS
This section is responsible for ensuring that all aircraft on the Jamaican aircraft registry are maintained to the standards established under the Civil Aviation Regulations and ICAO Annex 6.
It is staffed by a cadre of Airworthiness Safety Inspectors (ASI) who are all licensed Aircraft Maintenance Engineers. Their main functions are to:
I.	Ensure that aircraft inspection programmes are assessed and approved and then satisfactorily accomplished by qualified and competent personnel.
II.	Inspect Jamaican registered aircraft, and the documentation relating to the maintenance performed on those aircraft , on an annual, as well as an on-going basis and to inspect other operators on an ad hoc basis.
III.	Conduct accident/incident investigations.
IV.	Assess the competence of applicants for AME Licences by setting and grading written examinations and by administering oral examinations when required.
V.	Carry out routine ramp inspections and surveillance on foriegn registered aircraft operating in Jamaica.
VI.	Inspect local and overseas maintenance facilities used by Jamaican operators.
VII.	Assess and approve maintenance training programs.

LICENSING
The licensing section is responsible for the:
I.	Administration of written examinations for the issue of Licences to Pilots and Aircraft Maintenance Engineers (AME)
II.	Issue of restricted radiotelephony licenses
III.	Validation of foreign Licences held by pilots and Aircraft Maintenance Engineers (AME)
IV.	Issuing of permits to student pilots
V.	Registration of aircraft
VI.	Issuing of Licences for Air Traffic Controllers, Aircraft Maintenance Engineers and Pilots.
ENFORCEMENT Enforcement sanctions include pecuniary penalties, withholding of certificates (most are issued for a period of time and require renewal), suspension or variation of certificates, and court action for prescribed types of offences with maximum levels of fines or imprisonment set forth in regulations. An appeal may be made to the Court of Appeal for any sanction except where a certificate has not been granted for reason of competency.
AIRCRAFT REGISTER There are approximately 75 aircraft on the Jamaica Civil Aircraft Register(As at May 5 2008) and there are several US registered aircraft operated under FAR 125 or FAR 61 operating in Jamaica. Current fleet types include the Airbus family A340, A320/321, Bombardier DHC-8, Bell-206, Beech 55, Piper PA-23, Mitsubishi MU-2, Westwind Astra, several Cessna and Piper single and twin-engine variants, and Rockwell Ayres S2R agricultural aircraft.
AERODROMES AND AIRPORTS Jamaica has two international airports, five public aerodromes, ten private aerodromes, and many authorized helicopter-landing areas. This listing does not include military facilities or those aerodromes that are presently not in use. Jamaica is interested in achieving a higher growth rate in the general aviation sector of the industry and this activity may result in some aerodromes being re-opened or constructed. Aerodrome certification regulations were enacted into law in March 1998 and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is currently working with airport and aerodrome operators to complete certification requirements and registration requirements. Aerodromes that require certification are those with international designation and those that are served by scheduled service with aircraft carrying ten or more passengers. The remainder will be registered in the Jamaica Aeronautical Information Publication "AIP Jamaica". Jamaican regulations specify and enable ICAO Annex 14 Standards and Recommended Practices as the relevant certification standards.
FOREIGN INSPECTIONS Flight Safety inspectors may conduct inspections of any foreign civil aircraft in Jamaica and this is done as part of a routine ramp surveillance activity. Non-conformances are reported to the State of Registry and the State of the Operator. Jamaican air operators have over twenty-five foreign stations in eleven countries and contracted foreign repair work for the Jamaican fleet is done in six countries at over thirty approved foreign repair stations. Contracted training or leased facility air operator training is conducted in three countries at over eight locations. All foreign stations, repair facilities and training facilities are inspected regularly and other facilities used by air operators such as contracted refueling, ramp handling, cargo handling, dispatch facilities, airport facilities, air traffic control, etc. are evaluated during routine in-flight inspections or station inspections. Non-conformances are brought to the attention of the air operator and the foreign authorities, as appropriate.

Flight Safety Emergency Contact #
881-JCAA (5222)