EASA Nominated Persons Audit at Cologne Bonn Airport

In accordance with the requirements of Regulations (EU) 2018/1139 and (EU) 139/2014, aerodrome operators are obliged to establish and carry out an internal audit programme. The scope of the audit programme extends to the Implementing Rules, the associated Acceptable Means of Compliance and the Certification Specifications for the aerodrome infrastructure.

Cologne Bonn Airport commissioned airsight with the external and independent auditing of its organisation and operations in accordance with the above-mentioned EU/EASA aerodrome requirements. The focus was on the Nominated Persons and their respective departments affected by the requirements. The aim was to assess the degree of compliance of each organisational unit. Both, on site and video conference audits, were conducted. Audit preparation, implementation and follow-up were subjected to the requirements of DIN EN ISO 19011.

Through the audits, we gained a very valuable independent view of our organisation, operations and the corresponding EASA compliance.
- Nominated Person EASA Compliance/Change Management

The audits helped Cologne Bonn Airport to obtain an efficient and independent assessment of its actual compliance status with the EU/EASA requirements and to prepare for frequent oversight audits by their Competent Aviation Authority. Furthermore, the commissioned audits were part of the internal audit programme and thus themselves serve as evidence that compliance is also monitored proactively and independently of the authority audits.

In total, the following topics were audited by the airsight auditor team over a period of approx. 2 months:

• Safety Management
• EASA Compliance Management
• Training
• Maintenance
• Operations 
• Central Data & Documentation Management

Due to the large number of audit topics, as well as the availability of the various specialist departments, close coordination with the aerodrome operator was necessary from the very beginning in order to be able to complete all audits according to the agreed schedule. The high level of commitment and participation of all Nominated Persons as well as other employees enabled an objective examination of the EU/EASA requirements and their implementation at Cologne Bonn Airport. All audits were completed within the planned project schedule.

The audit results were documented in audit reports for each department and forwarded to the Nominated Person for EASA Compliance/Change Management at Cologne Bonn Airport. Decided audit findings (Findings, Observations) were categorised accordingly and assigned to the applicable EU/EASA requirements (audit criteria). In a final meeting, the audit results were presented to the Accountable Manager, the Nominated Persons and the aerodrome management. Based on the results, specific corrective and improvement measures could be introduced.