Get a flight school or aviation training organisation approved (ATO), or an aviation security course
Kenya Civil Aviation Authority · sources read 3 Oct 2026
Tell KCAA you plan to open the school, fill in its PASI form, and send the formal application at least 90 days before training starts. KCAA then checks your manuals and inspects you before issuing a 12-month certificate. Aviation security courses are approved separately, online on the KCAA portal.
- Fee
- KSh 80,000ATO certificate issue (school without an AOC)KSh 100,000Initial inspection of an ATO that holds an AOC
- Where
- KCAA Personnel Licensing (ATO certification); aviation security courses online at ecitizen.kcaa.or.ke
What you need
- Pre-Application Statement of Intent (PASI), signed by the Accountable Manager
- Formal application letter with the full application package attached
- Biographical data forms, CVs and certificates for all managers and instructors
- Your manuals, including the Safety Management Systems manual and the quality manual
Steps
- Contact KCAA early and tell them you intend to apply for an ATO certificate. They invite you to an orientation meeting.
- Fill in the PASI form, have the Accountable Manager sign it, and return it to KCAA's offices.
- Send the formal application at least 90 days before you plan to start training.
- KCAA reviews your documents, then inspects your facilities, aircraft, training and records.
- For an aviation security course, register on ecitizen.kcaa.or.ke and submit the course there for review.
Watch out
- The certificate lasts only 12 months, so you have to renew it every year.
- If 90 days pass with no activity from you, KCAA ends the process and you must start again with a new PASI.
- For aviation security training, the school must be certified, each course validated and the trainers certified.
Who can apply
- Any organisation that wants to run aviation training (pilots, aircraft engineers, flight operations officers or air traffic controllers) needs an ATO certificate.
- Every aviation security course offered in Kenya, in class or online, must be approved by KCAA first.
Official sources (5)
- Approved Training Organization kcaa.or.ke · read 3 Oct 2026
- CAA-AC-PEL070D: Certification of Prospective Training Organisation and Renewal of Approved Training Organisation (February 2026) kcaa.or.ke · read 3 Oct 2026
- Approval of Aviation Security Courses kcaa.or.ke · read 3 Oct 2026
- Aviation Security FAQs kcaa.or.ke · read 3 Oct 2026
- AIC 08/23: Charges for Air Navigation Services and Regulatory Fees kcaa.or.ke · read 3 Oct 2026