Airport & Aerodrome Operational Manual

Aerodrome Manual Development, Compliance Monitoring, Emergency Planning & Regulatory Advisory for Licensed Aerodromes Under UK CAA CAP 168 & ICAO Annex 14

This page describes AACS’s advisory, documentation and compliance services for aerodrome operators. The AACS airport training portfolio — including AVDP, airside pedestrian safety, Human Factors and emergency response training — is described on the Airport Training page. The AACS airport SMS advisory service is described on the Airport Safety Management Systems page. This page covers the operational management, documentation and regulatory compliance services that sit alongside and support both.

The Aerodrome Manual is the defining document of a licensed aerodrome. It must accurately describe the aerodrome’s physical characteristics, its operational procedures, its safety management arrangements, its emergency planning framework and the regulatory conditions under which it operates. It must be accepted by the Civil Aviation Authority. It must be kept current as the aerodrome evolves — as infrastructure changes, as operational procedures are revised, as new regulatory requirements come into force, and as personnel, organisations and operational relationships change. And it must be the document that the CAA inspector reads and then finds accurately represented in the aerodrome’s operational reality.

The gap between what the Aerodrome Manual says and what the aerodrome actually does is among the most consistently identified finding categories in UK CAA aerodrome licence oversight. It develops through the same mechanism in almost every case: the manual is accurate at the point of initial certification, organisational or operational changes occur, and the manual is not revised to reflect them. Over time, the gap widens. At oversight, the inspector finds that the manual describes procedures that are not followed, an SMS that is not implemented as documented, or emergency arrangements that bear no resemblance to the plans on the shelf.

Aerospace and Aviation Consulting Services (AACS) provides specialist operational management, documentation and compliance advisory to licensed aerodrome operators across the UK. Our advisory covers Aerodrome Manual and Airport Operational Manual development, standard operating procedure design, compliance monitoring, emergency planning, runway incursion prevention, FOD management, wildlife hazard management, construction safety management, and the full spectrum of regulatory compliance obligations that aerodrome operators must discharge under CAP 168 and ICAO Annex 14.

Aerodrome operators in the United Kingdom operate under a regulatory framework that is both extensive and detailed. AACS operates across the full scope of this framework.

Aerodrome Manual Development & Revision

AACS develops Aerodrome Manuals for aerodrome operators approaching initial licence certification, applying for licence variation, or revising existing documentation that has fallen behind the aerodrome’s current operational reality. We write manuals that are accepted by the authority and that accurately describe the aerodrome as it actually operates — not a generic template adapted to look aerodrome-specific.

Services include:

• Full Aerodrome Manual development for initial licence application — covering all CAP 168 required sections: aerodrome description and physical data, operational procedures, airside safety management, SMS, emergency planning, fire and rescue services, wildlife hazard management, construction safety management and compliance monitoring
• Aerodrome Manual revision following physical change — runway works, new infrastructure, changes to terminal facilities, new apron areas or taxiway configurations, changes to published instrument procedures
• Aerodrome Manual revision following operational change — new airline operations, new ground handling arrangements, changes to airside access control, new service providers, changes to RFFS category or provision
• Aerodrome Manual revision following regulatory change — UK CAA CAP revisions, ICAO Annex 14 amendments, new DfT security requirements, legislative changes affecting aerodrome operation
• Aerodrome Manual section redevelopment — where specific sections of an existing manual require substantive revision without full manual replacement
• Authority submission management — managing the submission of the revised manual to the UK CAA, responding to authority comments and achieving acceptance
• Aerodrome Manual gap analysis — independent review of the existing manual against CAP 168 requirements and the aerodrome’s current operational reality, identifying the gaps the authority would find at oversight

Airport Operational Manual (AOM) Development

For larger airports, the Airport Operational Manual provides the comprehensive operational reference for all airport functions — extending beyond the CAP 168-required Aerodrome Manual content to cover the full range of operational procedures across airside operations, ground handling interfaces, terminal operations, emergency response, security, environmental management and stakeholder relationships. The AOM is both a regulatory document and an operational management tool — the reference that airport operations staff use to manage the airport consistently regardless of which team or shift is on duty.

Services include:

• Full AOM development — comprehensive operational manual covering airside operations, ground handling oversight, terminal procedures, security, environmental management and stakeholder engagement
• AOM section revision and update — targeted revision of specific AOM sections following operational change, physical change or regulatory amendment
• AOM document control system design — revision management, amendment log, distribution framework and version control for a complex multi-section document
• AOM alignment review — confirming that the AOM and the CAP 168 Aerodrome Manual are internally consistent and that neither contradicts or duplicates the other

Standard Operating Procedure Development

Standard Operating Procedures provide the step-by-step operational detail that operational staff require to carry out specific activities consistently and safely. SOPs that are incomplete, that describe an idealised procedure that does not reflect operational reality, or that have not been updated to reflect changes in equipment, layout or regulatory requirements are procedures that operational staff learn not to follow — replacing the documented SOP with the informal practice that actually works in the operational environment.

AACS develops and reviews SOPs for aerodrome operators across the full range of operational activities:

• Airside movement area operations — runway and taxiway inspection procedures, FOD management, line and marking inspection, surface condition reporting
• Vehicle operations and access control — AVDP scheme management, contractor access control, LVO vehicle movement procedures, aerodrome circuit management
• Aircraft stand and apron management — stand allocation, apron entry procedures, aircraft on stand safety, pushback and engine start authorisation
• Low Visibility Operations (LVO) — LVO promulgation, vehicle movement restrictions, holding point management, LVO monitor procedures
• Wildlife hazard management — bird control procedures, wildlife patrol protocols, strike reporting and data management, species-specific management procedures
• FOD management — FOD walk procedures, vehicle FOD checks, FOD reporting, FOD data recording and trend management
• Runway incursion prevention — holding point management, runway crossing procedures, hot spot management, LVO incursion prevention
• Emergency response procedures — aircraft accident and emergency, medical emergency, fire response, bomb threat, fuel spill and environmental incident
• Construction and works safety procedures — live aerodrome construction safety management, daily works briefing, airside area handback procedures, construction vehicle access and control

Compliance Monitoring System Design

Every licensed aerodrome is required to maintain a compliance monitoring system that identifies and corrects departures from regulatory requirements and operational procedures before they become licence findings or safety events. In practice, the compliance monitoring systems of many aerodrome operators — particularly smaller licensed aerodromes without dedicated compliance resource — are either inadequate for the scope of the regulatory obligations they must cover, or have been established at licensing and not meaningfully reviewed since. The result is a system that produces compliance records without producing genuine compliance assurance.

AACS designs compliance monitoring systems for aerodrome operators that are proportionate to the aerodrome’s size and operational complexity, structured to identify genuine compliance risks rather than generate paperwork, and sustainable within the organisation’s actual management resource.

Services include:

• Compliance monitoring system design aligned with CAP 168 and the aerodrome’s specific licensing conditions — covering all regulated operational areas
• Internal audit programme design — schedule, scope, methodology and reporting framework
• Audit checklist development calibrated to the aerodrome’s specific layout, procedures, personnel structure and operational scope — not generic aerodrome compliance lists
• Finding classification and corrective action framework — the process through which compliance findings are classified by risk significance, assigned corrective action, tracked to closure and reviewed for effectiveness
• Compliance monitoring integration with SMS — ensuring that compliance findings are treated as safety data and feed into the SMS improvement cycle
• Compliance monitoring documentation — the records, reports and audit outputs that demonstrate compliance monitoring activity to the authority at oversight

Independent Compliance Audit

An independent compliance audit from AACS provides aerodrome operators with an external assessment of regulatory compliance across the full scope of CAP 168 and associated requirements — the assessment that identifies the gaps the CAA inspector would find, before the inspector finds them. This is particularly valuable for aerodrome operators approaching a scheduled oversight visit, for new aerodrome management teams assessing the compliance status they have inherited, and for operators who have been through a period of significant operational or organisational change.

Services include:

• Full aerodrome compliance audit against CAP 168 and all associated CAP requirements — identifying compliant areas, partial compliance and gaps requiring corrective action
• Aerodrome Manual accuracy audit — assessing whether the manual accurately describes the aerodrome’s current physical and operational reality
• Operational procedure audit — assessing whether documented SOPs reflect how operations are actually conducted and whether they meet the required regulatory standards
• Training compliance audit — reviewing training records, scheme documentation and Aerodrome Manual training section accuracy across all personnel categories
• SMS compliance audit — assessing whether the aerodrome’s SMS documentation and implementation meet CAP 168 and ICAO Annex 19 requirements
• RFFS compliance audit — reviewing RFFS competency records, equipment serviceability documentation and operational capability against the aerodrome’s licensed RFFS category
• Wildlife hazard management compliance audit — reviewing wildlife management records, risk assessment currency and procedure implementation
• Corrective action plan development — a structured, prioritised plan addressing all findings identified in the audit

Authority Oversight Preparation & Finding Response

UK CAA licence oversight visits are the primary mechanism through which the authority assesses whether a licensed aerodrome is operating in compliance with its licence conditions and the CAP 168 framework. Preparation is the opportunity to identify and address the gaps that would otherwise be found by the authority, to ensure that documentation accurately reflects operational reality, and to present the aerodrome’s compliance position clearly and credibly.

Oversight preparation services include:

• Pre-oversight compliance gap analysis — independent assessment of the aerodrome’s compliance position against the specific areas the authority typically examines at oversight
• Documentation readiness review — Aerodrome Manual, operational procedures, training records, SMS documentation and compliance monitoring records
• Inspector engagement preparation — advising the aerodrome operator on how to present the organisation’s compliance position clearly and manage specific areas of regulatory complexity

Finding response services include:

• Finding analysis — understanding the root cause of each finding: whether it reflects a procedural gap, a documentation failure, an operational divergence from the documented procedure, a training deficit or a systemic compliance management weakness
• Corrective action plan development — a structured response to each finding that addresses the root cause identified, with clear corrective actions, ownership and timescales
• Documentation corrective action — revising Aerodrome Manual, SOPs, training frameworks and compliance monitoring documentation as required by the finding
• Authority response drafting — producing the formal written response to the authority’s finding notifications in the format and at the level of detail the authority expects
• Post-corrective action verification — independently verifying that corrective actions have been implemented as described and are having the intended effect

Aerodrome Emergency Plan Development & Exercise

Every licensed aerodrome is required to hold an Aerodrome Emergency Plan that defines the response arrangements for the full range of emergency scenarios the aerodrome may face. The emergency plan must be exercised, and the exercises must generate genuine learning that improves the plan and the response capability it describes. An emergency plan that describes a response framework the aerodrome cannot actually deliver is not an emergency plan. It is a liability document.

AEP development services include:

• Full Aerodrome Emergency Plan development — covering all CAP 168 required emergency scenarios: aircraft accident and serious incident, aircraft ground incidents, fire in terminal or airside buildings, fuel spills, medical emergencies, security incidents and major infrastructure failures
• AEP section revision and update — revising specific sections following changes to the aerodrome’s emergency response arrangements, external agency contacts, equipment or physical layout
• Action card development — role-specific emergency action cards for all key post-holders and responding organisations
• External agency coordination framework — the arrangements under which police, ambulance, fire service and other external agencies are alerted, briefed and integrated into the aerodrome’s emergency response
• AEP alignment with the Aerodrome Manual — ensuring that the emergency plan and the Aerodrome Manual’s emergency procedures section are consistent and mutually supporting

Emergency exercise services include:

• Full aerodrome emergency exercise design — scenario development, role player briefing, inject schedule, observer framework and evaluation criteria, calibrated to test the specific elements of the AEP the aerodrome most needs to validate
• Multi-agency exercise coordination — coordinating exercise participation from police, ambulance, fire service, airlines, ground handlers and other stakeholders
• Exercise facilitation and direction — on-the-day management, inject delivery, safety oversight and real-time observation
• Exercise evaluation and post-exercise report — structured identification of plan and procedural gaps with prioritised improvement actions
• Desktop and tabletop exercise design and facilitation — for testing specific elements of the AEP, training new post-holders or preparing for a full exercise

Runway Incursion Prevention & FOD Management

Runway incursions remain one of the highest-consequence risk categories in aerodrome operations. ICAO Doc 9870 and CAP 168 both require aerodrome operators to implement a specific runway incursion prevention programme — not a general airside safety awareness measure, but a structured, monitored and continuously improved programme targeting the specific causal factors of runway incursions at this aerodrome.

Runway incursion prevention services include:

• Runway incursion risk assessment — identifying the specific incursion risk factors at this aerodrome: layout complexity, hot spots, LVO risks, vehicle movement patterns and ATC interface
• Runway incursion prevention programme design — the structured set of physical, procedural and training controls that address the identified risk factors
• Hot spot identification and management — documenting specific aerodrome areas with elevated incursion risk and the controls applied at each
• LVO incursion prevention procedures — the additional controls applied during Low Visibility Operations when the visual cues that normally prevent incursions are degraded
• Runway incursion SPI design — the safety performance indicators that monitor incursion rates, severity trends and control effectiveness

FOD management services include:

• FOD risk assessment — identifying the aerodrome’s specific FOD risk profile: sources, locations, seasonal factors and operational activities that generate FOD risk
• FOD control procedures — FOD walk procedures, vehicle FOD checks, contractor FOD obligations, FOD reporting and FOD data management
• FOD detection system advisory — assessment of FOD detection technology options proportionate to the aerodrome’s risk profile and resource
• FOD SPI design — indicators monitoring FOD find rates, FOD type trends and control programme effectiveness

Wildlife Hazard Management

CAP 168 requires aerodrome operators to assess wildlife strike risk, implement proportionate management measures, and maintain records of wildlife strikes and bird control activity. An effective wildlife hazard management programme must address both the immediate bird control measures and the longer-term habitat management that reduces the attractiveness of the aerodrome environment to bird species that present a strike risk.

Services include:

• Wildlife hazard risk assessment — assessment of the aerodrome’s specific wildlife strike risk profile: species-specific risk, habitat analysis and seasonal variation
• Wildlife management plan development — the structured plan of bird control measures, habitat management actions and monitoring arrangements that addresses the assessed risk
• Wildlife management Aerodrome Manual section — accurately documenting the aerodrome’s wildlife hazard management arrangements in the format required by CAP 168
• Wildlife strike data management — the recording, classification and trend analysis system that converts strike records into safety and management intelligence
• Wildlife management SPI design — indicators monitoring strike rates, control effectiveness and habitat condition trends
• CAP 772 compliance assessment — independent review of the aerodrome’s wildlife hazard management arrangements against CAP 772 requirements

Construction & Development Safety Management

Construction and development activity on a live licensed aerodrome creates a specific and demanding safety management challenge — the management of the interface between construction operations and live aircraft movements, airside vehicle operations and operational personnel. Poorly managed construction on the aerodrome is a direct runway incursion and FOD risk, and construction activities that are not correctly integrated into the aerodrome’s operational safety management framework are a consistent source of authority findings.

Services include:

• Construction safety risk assessment — identifying the specific hazards the construction activity introduces to the live aerodrome environment and the controls required to manage them
• Construction safety management plan — the document governing the safe conduct of construction on the live aerodrome: access control, vehicle management, FOD risk, movement area proximity and incident response
• CDM compliance advisory — ensuring the aerodrome operator and principal contractor discharge their respective CDM 2015 obligations in the aerodrome environment
• Operational impact assessment — assessing the impact of construction activity on aerodrome operational capability, licensed RFFS category, instrument procedures and published aerodrome information
• NOTAM and AIP amendment advisory — ensuring aeronautical information is current and accurate during the construction period
• Construction phase compliance monitoring — ongoing compliance assessment of construction operations against the construction safety management plan

Tenant, Contractor & Stakeholder Management

The aerodrome operator’s licence imposes obligations on the conduct of airside operations that extend beyond the operator’s own personnel to every organisation operating within the aerodrome’s licensed area. Airlines, ground handlers, fuelling operators, maintenance organisations, catering contractors, cargo operators and construction companies all operate within the aerodrome operator’s regulatory responsibility — and the aerodrome operator must have a framework for setting standards, monitoring compliance and intervening when standards are not met.

Services include:

• Airside standards framework development — the documented standards that all tenants, ground handlers and contractors operating airside must meet as a condition of access
• Tenant compliance assessment framework — the process through which the aerodrome operator assesses tenant compliance with its airside standards
• Contractor pre-qualification and management framework — the process through which the aerodrome operator qualifies, briefs and monitors contractors operating airside
• Licence-to-occupy and access agreement advisory — ensuring that the contractual framework with tenants and service providers supports the aerodrome operator’s compliance management obligations
• Safety data sharing protocol development — the arrangements through which the aerodrome operator shares safety information with tenants and receives safety data from tenants in return

Services at a Glance

Our Advisory Philosophy for Aerodrome Operators

AACS approaches aerodrome operational management advisory with a conviction that applies equally to a major regional airport and a small licensed general aviation aerodrome: the Aerodrome Manual and the operational procedures it describes must reflect how the aerodrome actually operates — not what the regulation prescribes in the abstract, and not what the aerodrome operated when the manual was last substantively reviewed. Both categories of aerodrome deserve documentation and advisory calibrated to their actual situation.

✔  The Aerodrome Manual must be accurate, current and usable — not a static approval artefact that describes the aerodrome as it existed at the point of initial certification

✔  Compliance monitoring must identify genuine compliance risks before they become authority findings — not generate audit records that satisfy the paperwork requirement without producing real assurance

✔  Emergency plans must describe a response the aerodrome can actually deliver — not arrangements that exist on paper but have never been tested or resourced

✔  SOPs must reflect how operations are actually conducted — operational staff who encounter procedures that do not match their operational reality will develop informal practices that the manual does not describe

✔  Runway incursion prevention, FOD management and wildlife hazard management must be structured, monitored programmes — not general awareness measures that satisfy the regulatory reference without addressing the specific risk

✔  Tenant and contractor compliance is the aerodrome operator’s regulatory responsibility — it cannot be discharged through an induction process and periodic safety notices

✔  Authority finding responses must address root causes — a finding response that changes a document without investigating why the document was wrong defers the compliance risk without resolving it

We will be direct about what your aerodrome’s documentation and compliance position requires, what the regulatory framework demands, and how we can help you manage your licensing obligations effectively and sustainably.

Speak to an AACS Specialist

Whether you are approaching initial aerodrome licence certification, revising documentation that has fallen behind operational reality, preparing for a UK CAA oversight visit, responding to a regulatory finding, or seeking specialist support with emergency planning, runway incursion prevention, FOD management, wildlife hazard management or tenant compliance, please contact us to discuss your requirements.