U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration Subject: AIRPORT CERTIFICATION MANUAL (ACM) & AIRPORT CERTIFICATION
SPECIFICATIONS (ACS)
1. PURPOSE. This advisory circular (AC) provides methods acceptable to the Administrator for showing compliance with the Airport Certification Manual (ACM) and Airport Certification Specifications (ACS) requirements contained in Part 139 of the Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR). Consideration will be given to other methods of compliance which the applicant may elect to present.
2. FOCUS. This material is intended for operators of airports that are required to have an Airport Operating Certificate (AOC) or a Limited Airport Operating Certificate (LAOC) to serve scheduled or unscheduled operations of air carriers using aircraft with over 30 passenger seats.
3. CANCELLATION. This AC cancels:
a. AC 150/5280-1, Airport Operations Manual dated 6/16/72.
b. AC 139.12-1, Airport Operations Specifications dated 2/03/75.
4. RELATED FAR SECTIONS. This AC relates specifically to Subpart C of Part 139, which is comprised of:
a. Section 139.201. Airport operating certificate: Airport Certification Manual.
b. Section 139.203. Preparation of Airport Certification Manual.
c. Section 139.205. Contents of Airport Certification Manual.
d. Section 139.207. Maintenance of Airport Certification Manual.
e. Section 139.209. Limited Airport Operating Certificate: Airport Certification Specifications
f. Section 139.211. Preparation of Airport Certification Specifications.
Advisory Circular Date: 7/15/88 AC No: 139.201-1 Initiated by: AAS-310 Change:
g. Section 139.213. Contents of Airport Certification Specifications.
h. Section 139.215. Maintenance of Airport Certification Specifications.
i. Section 139.217. Amendment of Airport Certification Manual or Airport Certification Specifications.
5. RELATED READING MATERIAL. The following are Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) AC's which will be particularly helpful in preparing required portions of the ACM/ACS. These AC's have been developed with specific elements of Part 139, Subpart D, in mind. Additional technical information which can be useful in the development of airport operations and maintenance systems and procedures for the ACM/ACS may be found in a further listing of AC's found in Appen-
and Operations.
b. AC 150/5200-==, Airport Emergency Plan (AEP) (proposed).
c. AC 150/5200-18B, Airport Safety Self-Inspection.
d. AC 150/5200-==, Airport Wildlife Hazard Management (proposed).
e. AC 150/5200-28, Notices To Airmen (NOTAMS) For Airport Operators.
f. AC 150/5370-2C, Operational Safety on Airports DuringConstruction.
6. BACKGROUND. A substantially revised FAR Part 139 became effective on January 1, 1988.
The requirement for an Airport Operations Manual (or Specifications) was changed to an Airport Cer-
AC 139.201-1 tification Manual (or Specifications), with content and applicability limited to that material required for certification. Some requirements for the ACM/ ACS were carried over intact, but many underwent change and a few were deleted. This circular addresses the requirements for the revision of existing, or development of new, ACM/ACS.
7. USE OF THIS CIRCULAR.
8. This AC discusses the requirements of a portion of the Federal Aviation Regulations. In handling this subject matter it would be awkward, if not impossible, to avoid imperatives such as "must" or "require" - terms not normally welcome in an AC. Where imperatives are used herein it is because they are associated with mandatory provisions of the Regulation itself.
FemadE. Mudd Leonard E. Mudd Director, Office of Airport Standards 7/15/88
b. Where the term Section followed by a number is used, such as "Section 139.317", it is a reference to a specific provision of the Regulation.
c. The number in brackets following a paragraph or statement such as "[.107(a)(3)]" is a cross reference to the applicable Section of Part 139.
The "139" is omitted to save space.
d. The FOCUS of this AC is the airport operator - so that person is the "you" and "your" we are speaking to in these pages.
8. AVAILABILITY OF AUTOMATED ACM/ ACS. An automated ACM/ACS version of this AC provides the airport operator and other users an automated means for developing and modifying the ACM/ACS. See Appendix 5 for instructions on how to order.
CONTENTS CHAPTER 1. FUNCTION AND FORM
101. Function and Authority of the ACM/ACS 1
102. Preparation. 1 CHAPTER 2. ACM/ACS OVERVIEW
201. Contents for Compliance.. 3
202. Special Elements of Compliance
203. Guidelines for Specificity..
204. Exemptions. 4
205. Limitations 5
206. Deviations. 5 CHAPTER 3. ACM/ACS REVIEW AND REVISION
301. Review Requirements 7
302. Revision and Followup.. 7 CHAPTER 4. TECHNICAL RESOURCES & LIMITATIONS
401. The Regulation and Advisory Circulars 9
402. Airport Authority Limits 9
APPENDICES Appendix 1. Content of the ACM (6 pages) Appendix 2. Content of the ACS (3 pages) Appendix 3. Advisory Circular Listing (2 pages) Appendix 4. Example of ACM/ACS Entry (3 pages) Appendix 5. Automated ACM/ACS Advisory Circular (1 page) iii (and iv)