Aircraft Awaiting Commercial Lease or Sale

The Isle of Man offers a specialist service to assist commercial airliner owners whilst the aircraft is awaiting a commercial lease agreement or sale.

The aircraft would typically come to our register at the point of the lease return or sale; the aircraft will undergo the same process as our executive aircraft for the issue of a Certificate of Airworthiness.

When airliners are not being operated commercially by an airline they are ‘private aircraft’ and can take advantage of the Isle of Man Aircraft Registry’s quick, efficient and cost-effective service.

Aircraft awaiting a commercial lease or sale, that are flown for the purposes of a maintenance check flight, demonstration flight or ferry flight are exempt from the requirements relating to a Company Operations Manual and Minimum Equipment List subject to specified conditions and constraints. See below for more details.

Benefits to Banks and Leasing Companies

  • Quick and efficient global registration service providing minimum down-time between leases, or a safe international register for parked aircraft;
  • Competitive scheme of charges;
  • Certificate of Airworthiness fee for an aircraft with a MTOM exceeding 200,000kg is capped to that payable for an aircraft of 200,000kg.
  • No minimum time on the aircraft register;
  • Any EASA Part 145 or FAR 145 maintenance organisation with the appropriate approvals can conduct work on Isle of Man registered aircraft;
  • Type-rated ICAO flight crew licences can be validated for flight crew of Isle of Man registered aircraft;
  • Aircraft can be approved for RVSM, NAT HLA (MNPS) and RNAV at the time of registration;
  • Airline experienced Isle of Man authorised Surveyors are based in Switzerland, UK and the Isle of Man, saving time and travel costs; and
  • Accounts are opened for Banks and Leasing Companies when registration applications are received and charges are invoiced on completion of the registration process.

Subject to the conditions below, operators of “transitional aircraft” are:

  • exempt from the following requirements of the Air Navigation (Isle of Man) Order 2015:
    • Article 99B – that the operator of an aircraft must prepare and ensure that a company operations manual (COM) is in force in respect of the aircraft;
    • Article 99E – that the operator of an aircraft must establish and implement a fatigue risk management programme and include the programme in the COM in respect of the aircraft;
    • Article 99M – that the operator of an aircraft of a type that has a master minimum equipment list (MMEL) established must prepare and ensure that a minimum equipment list (MEL) for the aircraft is approved by the Department and to include the details of the MEL procedures in the COM; and
    • permitted to commence a flight in specified circumstances, even though a specified item of equipment that must by or under the Order be carried in the circumstances of the intended flight is not carried or is not in a fit condition for use.

The conditions are:

  • The aircraft shall only flown for the purposes of a maintenance check flight, demonstration flight or ferry flight.
  • Maintenance check flights and ferry flights shall not carry passengers or cargo except with the permission of the Department.
  • Demonstration flights shall not carry cargo except with the permission of the Department.
  • The operator of the aircraft shall use the MMEL approved by the national aviation authority which approved the Type Certificate of the aircraft to defer defects, whilst complying with the conditions and limitations contained within the MMEL; and
  • A copy of Schedule 3 (Aircraft Equipment) and Schedule 4 (Radio Communication and Radio Navigation Equipment of Aircraft) of the Order shall be carried and used in conjunction with the MMEL when deferring defects relating to operational and emergency equipment.

Definitions:

  • “Transitional aircraft” means an aircraft which is awaiting a commercial lease or sale.
  • “Maintenance check flight” means a flight of an aircraft with an airworthiness certificate or with a permit to fly which is carried out for troubleshooting purposes or to check the functioning of one or more systems, parts or appliances after maintenance, if the functioning of the systems, parts or appliances cannot be established during ground checks and which is carried out in any of the following situations:
      1. as required by the aircraft maintenance manual or any other maintenance data issued by a design approval holder being responsible for the continuing airworthiness of the aircraft;
      2. after maintenance, as required by the operator or proposed by the organisation responsible for the continuing airworthiness of the aircraft;
      3. as requested by the maintenance organisation for verification of a successful defect rectification;
      4. to assist with fault isolation or troubleshooting.

 

  • “Demonstration flight” means a flight for the purpose of demonstrating an aircraft's capabilities or characteristics to a prospective customer, potential lessee, or their agent.
  • “Ferry flight” means a flight to a location necessary to enable the refurbishment, maintenance, delivery, entry into storage, demonstration, or inspection of the aircraft.

See Exemption/ Permission 2021/075 Transitional Aircraft.

If you are uncertain whether this is applicable to you, feel free to contact the Flight Ops team to discuss.