Dubai Airshow, United Arab Emirates: Dubai-based Empire Aviation Group has been awarded a CAR CAMO* certificate by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) of the Republic of San Marino - the first awarded to an operator based in the Middle East. The approval certificate was presented during a meeting held at the Dubai Airshow 2023. In 2015, Empire Aviation subsidiary - Empire Aviation San Marino - became the first aviation company from the Middle East to be awarded an AOC by San Marino, where the company has a dedicated office supporting its operations. Empire Aviation is already providing continuing airworthiness services for CAT operating under its AOC.

The San Marino CAR CAMO Approval Certificate confirms that Empire Aviation is approved by the CAA to perform CAMO function work on private aircraft managed by Empire Aviation and/or any other aircraft not on the company’s managed fleet and also based internationally. For San Marino registered aircraft not managed by a specialist company or smaller operators without the CAMO capabilities, this creates the opportunity to request CAR CAMO services from an independent and certified provider and for the aircraft to obtain a 36-month Certificate of Airworthiness validity. Empire Aviation already offers CAMO as part of its services and is now able to do the same under its CAR CAMO for private operators with T7 registered aircraft worldwide.  

CAMO is a commitment to the fundamental and legal responsibility for the ‘airworthiness’ of an aircraft, by planning and coordinating all maintenance activities to keep the aircraft airworthy, but also communicating with the regulators and manufacturers. The Empire Aviation team offers CAMO services and CAR CAMO to aircraft owners under management agreements. The company’s CAR CAMO will become central to its aircraft management services.

According to Paras Dhamecha, Founder and Managing Director of Empire Aviation, CAMO complements perfectly the company’s aircraft asset management business model – the quality of the asset directly correlates to the quality of CAMO.

Speaking at Dubai Airshow, Paras Dhamecha said: “With the increasing number of private aircraft operating around the world and many more locating to the UAE, the CAR CAMO segment is becoming more attractive. We have all the first mover advantages and our base in one of the world’s leading aviation hubs with great people and systems in Dubai. So, we have access to the skills and resources required to develop this service line further geographically. Technical management is becoming important and there’s also a good fit with our aircraft management business, for which CAMO is a great shop window.“

He added: “We are delighted to be the first company with offices in the Middle East to become an Approved Independent CAR CAMO with San Marino CAA. We have a very close working relationship with the CAA and this represents another exciting development and phase in our development. San Marino is proving to be a very attractive jurisdiction for owners to register their business jets, with a well-managed and regulated aircraft registry and the reassurance of compliance with all the appropriate international standards.”

The Republic of San Marino is a member State of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a specialized agency of the United Nations, created to promote the safe and orderly development of international civil aviation throughout the world. San Marino is also member state of the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC).

Ing. Marco Conti, Director General of San Marino CAA, commented: “Empire Aviation and San Marino CAA have created an effective working relationship, which continues to grow and develop with strong mutual benefits. Empire Aviation is still the largest operator on the San Marino registry and has continued to demonstrate exceptional business professionalism and a very experienced CAMO service provider. CAMO is an important area and service that our clients are looking for and it took around four years to develop the appropriate policies and process. Today, we have over 400 registered aircraft and, as a boutique registry, we are focusing on service and quality rather than building scale. The San Marino CAMO certificate process simplifies CAMO for our registered aircraft, frees up resources at the CAA, and ensures the provision of professional technical management, so it’s really a win-win.”

*Continuing Airworthiness Management Organisation

About Empire Aviation Group

Since launching in Dubai UAE in 2007, Empire Aviation Group has developed into a global private aviation business integrating a comprehensive range of services, based on a distinctive aircraft management approach and personalised service, ensuring aircraft owners and clients enjoy all the privacy, safety, comfort and convenience of private aviation. Empire Aviation operates one of the Middle East’s largest managed fleets of business jets, with aircraft based in global locations. The company operates in the key regions for private aviation, covering the USA, Europe, India, Africa and Indonesia, in addition to the Middle East. The Empire Aviation team comprises 130 aviation specialists across the globe. Empire Aviation holds AOCs (Air Operator Certificates) in the UAE and San Marino.

Media contact:
Jonathan Walsh
WPR Dubai
jon@wprme.net