Isle of Man Aircraft Registry signs Letter of Understanding with German Federal Aviation Office

The Isle of Man Aircraft Registry has signed a Letter of Understanding with the German Federal Aviation Office (LBA), acknowledging the Isle of Man’s compliance with international regulations.

The LoU demonstrates that the German authorities recognise that the IOMAR complies with the International Civil Aviation Organization’s requirements and responsibilities to have regulatory oversight of business aircraft. It also shows that the LBA recognises the relevant airspace and operating approvals issued by the IOMAR.

This latest LoU follows one with the UK Civil Aviation Authority in 2016. IOMAR is about to enter into a similar agreement with another EU member state national aviation authority, and expects to announce the details “very soon”.

According to Simon Williams, director of civil aviation at the IOMAR, the registry aims to “allow business to get on with business, safely and efficiently, while meeting our regulatory responsibilities” by signing L0Us with EU member state national aviation authorities.

And he emphasised that these LoUs were not Article 83bis agreements: “IOMAR is very much maintaining its State of Registry oversight and thus is accountable for the safety performance of aircraft/operators on the M register plus associated customer service delivery.

“The IOMAR sets the highest relevant/appropriate aviation regulatory standards but is also very proactive in its approach. For example, to the best of my knowledge, we are the first aircraft register to go completely digital, with all of our certificates and approvals to be produced, authenticated and delivered electronically.”

Williams said the IOMAR was signing Letters of Understanding  with EU member state national aviation authorities to:

• continue to facilitate the highest standards of aviation safety
• maintain its high ICAO standards, and enable European national aviation authorities to recognise its operational approvals
• streamline the regulatory process and minimise the potential for duplicated or conflicting oversight.

“I passionately believe that it is just a question of attitude, approach, listening and understanding. It is entirely possible to be a proactive regulator with both safety and customer service at the heart of everything you do,” he added.

Williams is pictured above right, with Thomas Pantin of the German Federal Aviation Office.