IATA Aircraft Lease Guidance

Guidance Material and Best Practices for Aircraft Leases
cockpit door with a monitor in the cockpit instrument panels to a solution where just a spyhole in the
cockpit door is sufficient. Even among the EASA countries there are multiple differences in interpretation.
The reason for this abundance of interpretations is that there are many stakeholders involved. This
requirement followed the 9/11 attacks and was agreed at ICAO level later in 2001 in consultation with the
stakeholders. The text of the requirement was actually a compromise to meet their various interests. It
includes a number of phrases that are not clearly defined and thereby cause different interpretations by
the various stakeholders. These phrases are:
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Means – A means is variably interpreted as a system (e.g. hardware, such as a video camera system),
and a procedure, such as having an extra person in the cockpit during critical phases of flight;
Monitoring – this phrase can be interpreted strictly, i.e. the area behind the cockpit door must be
seen, or more broadly.
Either pilot’s station – this is interpreted alternatively as requiring a monitor in direct view of both
pilots at the same time, when normally seated, or a monitor in view by one pilot within his normal
field of vision, or when turning his head and/or body. Broader interpretations have been accepted as
well. The FAA accepts as an interpretation for ‘either pilot’s station’ that a pilot stands up and uses a
spyhole in the cockpit door. This interpretation has been approved by ICAO (see below under ‘USA’).
Entire door area – is this the area immediately behind the door or broader, i.e. also including areas
further away and not in a direct line of sight from the door via a spyhole.
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Stakeholders
The stakeholders include the following parties:
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Civil aviation (safety) authority
The safety authority primarily wants the aircraft to have features that are airworthy and allow safe
operation.
Civil aviation (security) authority
The security authority has a different perspective and primarily aims to prevent unlawful intervention.
Each state is required to have a National Civil Aviation Security Program (NCASP), the distribution of
which is kept to a minimum for obvious reasons. It is known however that some states have a ‘means
to monitor’ interpretation in the NCASP that is more stringent than that of the aviation authority.
However, the secret nature of the NCASP makes this information unavailable to potential operators
or owners of aircraft operated in that country.
Pilots, represented by pilot unions
Pilots have an interest in the best means, which currently is a video camera, and in some cases the
pilot unions, rather than the national aviation safety or security authority, convinced air operators to
install video cameras.
Cabin crew, represented by cabin crew unions and passengers, protected by privacy regulations
In some countries, simple solutions were found acceptable for privacy reasons of cabin crew and/or
passengers. The passenger cabin may be regarded as a private area rather than a public area.
Ramp inspectors
EASA leaves the interpretation of the means for monitoring requirement to the national authorities
overseeing air operators, except that it has provided guidance to ramp inspectors under the SAFA
40 4 th Edition 2017