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Aviation specialities
MSDP works across the four regulatory and operational blocks of a flight operation — operations, crew, continuing airworthiness and the airfield — as well as on the legal and economic structuring of aircraft ownership.
In brief
General and business aviation occupies a frequently underserved space between the private touring aircraft and the commercial airline. That is where the hardest questions sit: whether an operation is private or commercial, how costs are shared, what legal form a co-ownership should take, and how ownership, operation and continuing airworthiness fit together.
These questions cannot be improvised from a spreadsheet. They require having read the applicable European regulations, having built real structures, and knowing the true hourly cost of a pressurised turboprop.
The four blocks
- AirOps — flight operations: organising operations under Regulation (EU) No 965/2012, qualifying the applicable regime — Part-NCO (Annex VII), Part-NCC (Annex VI) or Part-SPO (Annex VIII) —, drafting the operations manual and management system required by Part-ORO (Annex III), and filing the declaration of compliance with the authority under ORO.DEC.100.
- AirCrew — crew: licences, ratings and validity under Regulation (EU) No 1178/2011, scheduling, file management, tracking medical and regulatory deadlines, recruitment and recency organisation.
- Continuing Airworthiness under Regulation (EU) No 1321/2014: interface with approved Part-145 (Annex II) and Part-CAMO (Annex Vc) organisations, choosing the regime applicable to the aircraft — Part-M or Part-ML —, maintenance programmes, tracking of engine and component limits, documentation management and maintenance contracts.
- Airfield — aerodrome operations: structuring the platform, organising ground operations and safety, the economic model, relations with the granting authority and public bodies.
Ownership, co-ownership and structuring
Aircraft co-ownerships rarely fail for technical reasons. They fail because the sharing rules were not written down before the first disagreement, because the real cost was underestimated, or because the chosen legal form makes it impossible for a new partner to join.
MSDP therefore starts with governance and operating economics, and only then with the aircraft. The method is one of sustained support: meeting the families and entrepreneurs involved, analysing their real issues and needs, then defining, organising, implementing and running the structure that answers them — in compliance with European rules and law on aviation, economic, corporate and tax matters.
The service also covers the administrative and regulatory organisation of approved (ATO) and declared (DTO) training organisations, whose operations MSDP separately equips with FlyMate.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Is private aircraft co-ownership a commercial activity?
It depends on the structure. European regulation distinguishes commercial air transport — transport made available to the public or to a group of persons who do not control the operation — from private operations. Where the users are also the sole shareholders and genuinely control the operation, the model falls under private status. The qualification requires a case-by-case analysis, and is one of the first points examined in an engagement.
Which legal form suits aircraft co-ownership in Belgium?
The cooperative company provides a well-suited framework: its variable capital allows partners to join and leave without heavy amendments to the articles. The model proven by MSDP combines a service cooperative with a separate company per aircraft, which makes it straightforward to allocate costs per shareholder within each unit.
Is MSDP an approved Part-145 or CAMO organisation?
No. MSDP is neither an approved Part-145 maintenance organisation — Annex II to Regulation (EU) No 1321/2014 — nor an approved Part-CAMO continuing airworthiness management organisation, Annex Vc to the same regulation. It works on the owner’s or operator’s side: selecting and steering those organisations, maintenance programmes, tracking limits, documentation management, and negotiating and following up contracts.
Does MSDP advise on aerodrome operations?
Yes. The Airfield block covers structuring a platform, organising ground operations, safety, the economic model and relations with public authorities. That expertise was built while structuring and directing the rescue project for Saint-Hubert aerodrome, carried out with the City of Saint-Hubert, SOWAER and the Walloon Region.
Other practice areas
Other practice areas
Next step
A project, a mandate, a question?
Describe your situation in a few lines. You get a reasoned answer, usually within two working days — including a frank view on whether an engagement is warranted at all.