The ARC is the EASA certificate confirming an aircraft's airworthiness has been formally reviewed — records, AD status, maintenance programme compliance and physical survey. It is valid 12 months (extendable twice in a controlled environment), and an expired ARC grounds the aircraft.
The Airworthiness Review Certificate (ARC) is the EASA certificate confirming that an aircraft's airworthiness has been formally reviewed and found in order. The review has two parts: a full documented audit of the aircraft's records — maintenance programme compliance, AD status, deferred defects, component life tracking, weight and balance data — and a physical survey of the aircraft. The ARC is valid for 12 months and, for aircraft in a controlled environment (continuously managed by the same CAMO), may be extended twice before a full review is again required.
The ARC works alongside the Certificate of Airworthiness: the CofA is non-expiring under EASA, but it is only valid together with a current ARC. An aircraft with an expired ARC is grounded regardless of its physical condition.
Why it matters for flight schools
The annual ARC review is where record-keeping debt gets called in. Every undocumented maintenance event, untracked component and sloppy tech log entry from the preceding year must be reconciled before the reviewer signs — and schools with paper records routinely lose days of aircraft availability to review preparation. Losing controlled-environment status (for example by switching CAMOs) removes the extension option and forces full annual reviews, making CAMO continuity a real operational asset.
How FlightLogger handles it
FL Maintenance keeps the records an ARC review audits — maintenance compliance, AD status, component times, deferrals — continuously current, so the review confirms an existing state instead of triggering an archaeology project.
Frequently asked questions
What happens if the ARC expires?
The aircraft may not fly until a new airworthiness review is completed and an ARC issued. Unlike some deadlines, there is no grace period — planning reviews well before expiry is essential.
What does 'controlled environment' mean for ARC extensions?
An aircraft continuously managed by the same CAMO and maintained by approved organisations for the preceding 12 months is in a controlled environment, allowing the CAMO to extend the existing ARC up to twice — saving the cost and downtime of full annual reviews.