Operations Specifications (OpsSpecs)

Operations Specifications (OpsSpecs) are the individualized operating permissions issued by the FAA to each certificate holder under 14 CFR Part 119 (for Part 121 and Part 135 operators), 14 CFR Part 125, and 14 CFR Part 145 (for repair stations). The authority for OpsSpecs flows from §119.5, which requires each certificate holder to obtain and comply with applicable operations specifications, and from §119.7, which defines what OpsSpecs must contain. §119.49 specifies the operator's obligations: OpsSpecs must be carried aboard each aircraft (or be made available at each base of operations) and presented to any FAA representative on request. Violation of any OpsSpec authorization is simultaneously a violation of §119.5, exposing the certificate holder to civil penalty or certificate action regardless of whether the underlying operation was otherwise safe.

The OpsSpec document is structured into standardized lettered parts developed through the FAA's Vital Information Subsystem (VIS) and maintained in the Air Carrier Operations (ACAO) database. Part A contains general authorizations and limitations: the certificate holder's name and principal base of operations, the types of operations authorized (domestic, flag, supplemental, commuter, on-demand), the authorized aircraft list by type and registration, and the certificate holder's Minimum Equipment List (MEL) reference. Part B contains en route authorizations: each authorization to conduct operations in special airspace must appear explicitly in Part B, including RVSM operations in RVSM airspace (which require RVSM approval under AC 91-85B, with aircraft and operator both approved), RNP/RNAV equipment authorization, Extended Operations (ETOPS) — specifically the diversion time authorization (e.g., 120-minute, 180-minute, or 207-minute), North Atlantic (NAT) HLA operations, Pacific Oceanic operations, and polar route approvals. Part C contains airport authorizations: every airport at which the certificate holder is authorized to conduct operations must be listed, and special airport authorizations — such as Aspen/Pitkin County (ASE), Telluride Regional (TEX), Innsbruck (INN), and other airports with non-standard approach procedures or terrain constraints — appear as individual paragraph items. Cat II and Cat III ILS approach authorizations are also carried in Part C, listed by airport–aircraft type pair (e.g., a Cat III authorization for JFK with specific aircraft type); the certificate holder cannot conduct Cat II/III operations at an airport-aircraft combination not listed in Part C even if the crew is Cat II/III trained.

Part D contains maintenance program authorizations: the CAMP (Continuous Airworthiness Maintenance Program) reference, MEL/MMEL adoption, the weight and balance program approval, any deviation from standard maintenance intervals (e.g., extended engine on-condition programs), and specific approvals related to the maintenance organization performing work under the certificate holder's program. Part E carries weather minimums deviations: approvals for lower-than-standard takeoff minimums at specific airports, and alternate airport weather minimums that deviate from the standard alternate requirements of §91.169 and §121.625.

The amendment process for OpsSpecs is initiated by the certificate holder and reviewed by the operator's Principal Operations Inspector (POI) or Principal Maintenance Inspector (PMI) at the assigned FSDO. The operator submits substantiating data: for a new aircraft type, this includes training program documentation, check airman designations, simulator qualification records, and manual revisions. For a new airport authorization in Part C, the operator must demonstrate crew familiarity training for that airport. The POI reviews the submission, may conduct a surveillance flight or evaluation, and either issues the amendment or responds with a deficiency letter. There is no automatic issuance — each OpsSpec paragraph is a deliberate FAA grant.

Letters of Authorization (LOAs) serve the equivalent function for operators under Part 91 and Part 91K who do not hold an air carrier certificate. A Part 91 business aviation operator does not hold OpsSpecs, but must obtain individual LOAs for operations such as RVSM (AC 91-85B), RNP/RNAV terminal operations (AC 90-105A), Cat II/III ILS (AC 120-29A), and reduced-visibility takeoff (AC 120-28D). The LOA framework mirrors the OpsSpec structure conceptually — explicit authorization for each special operation — but is administered under Part 91 without the full certificate holder oversight framework.

For combined ATO/AOC operators — flight schools that simultaneously hold an Approved Training Organization certificate and an Air Operator Certificate — OpsSpecs or their AOC equivalent authorization documents define the boundaries of every commercial operation. An ATO operating its own charter or aerial work flights under a Part 135 certificate must ensure that every training aircraft used for charter is listed in the Part A aircraft authorization, that the airports where charter flights operate appear in Part C, and that the maintenance program covering those aircraft is referenced in Part D. A common compliance failure is adding an aircraft to the training fleet (and to the ATO's approved training program) without simultaneously amending the Part 135 OpsSpecs to include that registration — the aircraft is then legally on the charter certificate but not authorized for charter dispatch.

For repair stations under Part 145, OpsSpecs define the station's ratings (airframe, powerplant, propeller, radio, instrument, accessory) and the specific aircraft types or component categories for which the station is approved. A Part 145 station that performs work beyond its OpsSpec rating — for example, performing propeller overhauls when the station holds only an airframe rating — is performing unauthorized maintenance regardless of the quality of the work. Certificate holders in both the air carrier and repair station contexts often struggle with the administrative latency of OpsSpec amendments, which can take 30–90 days depending on the complexity of the authorization and FSDO workload.

Aviatize's compliance and auditing module maintains a structured record of each authorization listed in a certificate holder's OpsSpecs (or LOA, for Part 91 operators), including the paragraph reference, effective date, aircraft or airport applicability, and any conditions or limitations stated in the authorization. When an aircraft is added to the fleet or a new airport is added to regular operations, the system prompts the compliance team to verify whether an OpsSpec amendment is required before that aircraft or airport can be used for commercial operations. This prevents the common failure mode of operational expansion outpacing the administrative authorization update cycle.

For Part 145 repair stations using Aviatize's maintenance execution and compliance and auditing tools, the station's current rating schedule from its OpsSpecs is maintained as the authorization boundary for work order acceptance. When a work order is created for a component type or aircraft type, the system validates against the station's approved ratings — a work order for a propeller overhaul at a station without a propeller rating is flagged at creation rather than discovered during a post-completion audit. Expiry dates on time-limited authorizations (such as certain special authorizations with annual review requirements) generate automated renewal reminders, ensuring that the certificate holder does not inadvertently conduct operations under an expired OpsSpec authorization.