Learn what CAR 145 means and the approvals, staff, facilities, parts controls, records and release procedures it requires.
CAR 145 is a national civil aviation rule for organisations approved to maintain aircraft and components. It requires an authorised scope of work, competent staff, suitable facilities and tools, controlled maintenance data, parts traceability, documented procedures, compliance oversight, records, occurrence reporting and a valid release to service after maintenance.
In our Aviation & Real-World Flying coverage, we use CAR 145 as a general label, but the legal meaning depends on the regulator. In India it normally refers to the DGCA requirements for approved maintenance organisations; other authorities use similar CAR-145 or Part-145 systems with their own amendments and terminology.
Which organisations does CAR 145 cover?
CAR 145 applies to maintenance organisations seeking or holding approval from the relevant civil aviation authority. Depending on their approved ratings, these organisations may perform line maintenance, base maintenance, engine or component work, and specialised services such as non-destructive testing.
The approval is limited by its certificate, ratings, locations, capabilities and exposition. An organisation approved for one aircraft family or component category cannot automatically maintain every aircraft, engine or part.
CAR 145 approval belongs to the organisation, not to an individual engineer. Certifying staff must also hold any licence, type rating, training and company authorisation required for the particular aircraft or task.
What are the main CAR 145 requirements?
A compliant organisation must show that it can control the complete maintenance process, from accepting the aircraft or component through to final certification.
| Requirement | What it means in practice |
|---|---|
| Approval and scope | Work must remain within the organisation’s approved ratings, capability list, locations and limitations. |
| Management | An accountable manager and required nominated personnel must have defined authority, responsibilities and resources. |
| Exposition | A Maintenance Organisation Exposition, or equivalent approved manual, must describe the organisation, procedures, scope and control system. |
| Personnel | There must be enough trained and competent mechanics, support staff, supervisors and authorised certifying staff for the workload. |
| Facilities | Hangars, workshops, stores and offices must protect the work from weather, contamination, mix-ups and unsuitable environmental conditions. |
| Tools and equipment | Required tooling must be available, serviceable and calibrated or checked at the prescribed intervals. |
| Parts and materials | Components must be eligible for installation, correctly identified, traceable and stored under controlled conditions. |
| Maintenance data | Staff must use applicable and up-to-date manuals, airworthiness directives, repair data, task cards and other approved instructions. |
| Maintenance control | Planning, defect assessment, critical-task controls, shift handovers and inspections must prevent omissions and maintenance errors. |
| Records and release | Completed work, parts fitted, measurements, defects and signatures must be recorded before an authorised release is issued. |
| Oversight and reporting | The organisation must monitor compliance, correct findings and report qualifying safety occurrences. Some authorities also require a formal safety management system. |
Exact staff positions, record-retention periods, release forms and safety-management provisions vary between jurisdictions. The applicable authority’s CAR 145 text, approval certificate and amendments always take precedence.
How does an organisation obtain CAR 145 approval?
Approval requires an application, documented capability and a successful authority assessment; registering a company or employing licensed engineers is not enough.
- Define the intended scope. Specify the aircraft, engines, components, specialised services and maintenance locations involved.
- Establish the organisation. Appoint the accountable manager and required postholders, then provide sufficient competent personnel.
- Prepare the exposition. Document procedures for maintenance, certification, records, tooling, parts, subcontracting, occurrence reporting and compliance monitoring.
- Demonstrate capability. Make the facilities, technical data, tools, materials and training records available for authority inspection.
- Close any findings. Correct deficiencies identified during the document review or on-site audit before approval is granted.
- Maintain the approval. Control changes, complete internal audits, correct later findings and remain available for regulatory surveillance.
Approval from one authority is not automatically accepted by every other country. Additional validation or a separate approval may be needed for foreign-registered aircraft or overseas customers.
When can a CAR 145 organisation release an aircraft?
A certificate of release to service may be issued only when the specified maintenance has been properly completed and checked, or when any permitted incomplete work is clearly identified and handled under the applicable rules.
The certifying person must be authorised for that aircraft or component and must have adequate records to support the release. Component maintenance normally uses an authorised release certificate or the regulator’s equivalent document.
A release does not declare that every part of the aircraft is defect-free. It certifies the work described within the release, while the operator’s continuing-airworthiness responsibilities, deferred-defect controls and operational checks still apply. Our explanation of how defects lead to AOG status and controlled return to service covers what happens when a fault prevents legal or safe operation.
What CAR 145 mistakes commonly invalidate maintenance?
Most CAR 145 failures occur when an organisation has approval on paper but performs a particular task outside the controls supporting that approval.
- Working outside the approved rating or location: stop the job until the scope is extended or the work is placed with an appropriately approved organisation.
- Using obsolete maintenance data: verify the revision and applicability before continuing, then assess any work already completed using superseded instructions.
- Installing a part without acceptable traceability: quarantine it until eligibility and documentation are established. Our guide to parts traceability and unapproved-parts alerts explains why a part that physically fits may still be illegal to install.
- Using overdue calibrated equipment: remove the tool from service and assess whether earlier measurements remain valid.
- Allowing unauthorised certification: an engineer’s licence alone does not replace the organisation’s task, type and scope authorisation.
- Incomplete task cards or handovers: reconstruct and verify the work rather than relying on memory or issuing a blank retrospective signature.
- Poor subcontractor control: confirm that contracted work is permitted, properly supervised and supported by an acceptable release.
Is CAR 145 the same as EASA or FAA Part 145?
No. The systems share the Part 145 concept of approved maintenance organisations, but they are separate legal frameworks.
EASA Part-145 governs qualifying organisations under the European system, while FAA Part 145 governs repair stations in the United States. Canada generally regulates approved maintenance organisations through CAR 573 rather than a rule called CAR 145. A certificate under one framework does not by itself confer approval under another.
The safest reading method is to identify the aircraft’s state of registry, the authority that issued the maintenance approval, the organisation’s approved scope and the applicable rule revision. That prevents the common mistake of treating every reference to “145 approval” as interchangeable.