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CAMO.A.315(b)(1) requires the organisation to develop, control, and manage an approved aircraft maintenance programme for each managed aircraft, ensuring it meets all type certificate holder and regulatory requirements.
What it means in practice
The maintenance programme is the central document that defines all scheduled maintenance tasks for an aircraft. The CAMO is responsible for developing the maintenance programme based on the type certificate holder's instructions for continuing airworthiness, applicable airworthiness directives, the operational environment, and any relevant reliability data. The programme must be approved by the competent authority, either directly or through an indirect approval process.
The CAMO must also manage the programme throughout its lifecycle, incorporating amendments when new maintenance requirements are identified, when the type certificate holder issues revised instructions, or when operational experience or reliability data indicates that changes are needed. The maintenance programme must be reviewed at defined intervals to ensure it remains appropriate for the aircraft and its operating conditions.
Key requirements
The maintenance programme must comply with the type certificate holder's instructions for continuing airworthiness as a minimum. It must include all applicable airworthiness limitation items. The programme must be approved or accepted by the competent authority, and any amendments must follow the approved process. Regular reviews of the programme, typically annual, must be conducted.
The applicable AMP rule depends on the aircraft's annex: for aircraft managed under Annex I (Part-M), the AMP is governed by M.A.302 with approval (direct or indirect) by the competent authority; for light aircraft under Annex Vb (Part-ML) — non-complex, not air-carrier-operated aircraft up to 2 730 kg MTOM (aeroplanes), and equivalent helicopter/sailplane/balloon categories — ML.A.302 permits a self-declared AMP by the owner or an AMP approved by the CAMO/CAO, with annual review. Pages and procedures should always state which annex applies, because the approval route, review obligations, and responsibilities differ.
Common compliance gaps
Failure to incorporate the latest revisions of the type certificate holder's maintenance recommendations into the maintenance programme is a common finding. Another gap is applying a maintenance programme designed for one operational environment to an aircraft operating in significantly different conditions without assessing whether adjustments are needed, for example, using a temperate-climate programme for an aircraft operating in high-humidity or sandy conditions.
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