Modernising Aviation Services: Licensing and Oversight

We’ve launched an internal Customer Experience and Modernisation (CX&M) programme, aimed at transforming experiences for customers who interact with the Civil Aviation Authority and use the services we provide.

The Government conducted an Arm's Length Body Review of the CAA in 2022/2023, during which time they collected feedback from stakeholders about the performance and effectiveness of the CAA. A number of recommendations were issued, and the CAA has committed to respond to the ALB review by delivering a significant improvement to many of our major customer-facing services through the CX&M programme.

One of our programme's first initiatives is the MASLO project – which stands for Modernising Aviation Services: Licensing and Oversight.

MASLO

MASLO stands for Modernising Aviation Services: Licensing and Oversight.

Our MASLO project aims to revolutionise how our customers interact with our licensing services. We want to create a fully digital, end-to-end licensing process, that makes it simple for licence holders and their organisations to manage personnel licences.

We’re committed to delivering a solution that is straightforward, joined up and personal, which saves time and enhances the overall experience.

Our initial focus of the project will be on the following areas:

• Air Traffic Services (ATS)
• Flight Crew Licensing (FCL) for professional pilots
• Flight Crew Licensing (FCL) for private pilots
• Aircraft Maintenance Licensing (AML)

We aim to design a single solution for all personnel licensing customers but will roll it out to each licensing service area individually over a four year period.

Key Timelines

2024

• August – October: Personnel Licensing Discovery

We conducted an 8-week discovery, holding research sessions with a cross section of personnel licensing customers to understand their needs and pain points in the current process. We spoke to 59 customers including airlines, maintenance organisations, Air Navigation Service Providers, and individual licence holders. We also attended the LAA Rally to conduct pop up research with GA pilots.

• October - November: ATS, Discovery

We conducted a 6-week deep dive discovery focused on Air Traffic Services, to fully understand challenges and opportunities for improvement in ATS licensing.

• November – March 2025: ATS Alpha

We are currently building prototype designs for ATS and testing these with our customers. Each month we are holding user research sessions to gain feedback on our concepts and ideas before building the final solution.

2025

• April – September: ATS Private Beta

We will be building the ATS licensing solution with the aim of entering private beta in late summer 2025, where we will roll out the new service to a limited number of users for feedback.

• September Onward: ATS Public Beta 

Following a successful Private Beta, the new service will be made available to all ATS licensing customers.

This phased process (discovery, alpha, beta) will be repeated for the remaining licensing services, with the full program completing in four years.

How to Get Involved

The CAA is investing in user research to ensure our new licensing service truly meets the needs of our customers. As such, your feedback is crucial and will directly shape the future of our licensing service

• Sign up for user research: Register to participate in upcoming sessions and share your insights.

Register for Research Opportunities

Progress Updates

Stay informed about MASLO's developments:

Current Status:

MASLO is currently in the Alpha phase for ATS, running from December 2024 to March 2025. This phase focuses on user research and design for Air Traffic Controllers.

Upcoming Research Focus Areas:

• December 2024 (Round 1): Student ATCO application
• January 2025 (Round 2): Radio Operators Certificate of Competence (ROCC).
• February 2025 (Round 3): Electronic licensing, and the licensing application process for units.
• March 2025 (Round 4): Payment functionalities.

Updates will be posted here as milestones are achieved.

Useful Links

• Register for User Research Opportunities
• Learn More About the ALB Review

• Contact the MASLO Team at CX@caa.co.uk