Regulation (EU) 2020/357

1. The operator shall appoint an accountable manager who has the authority to ensure that all activities that fall within the scope of this Regulation can be financed and carried out in accordance with the essential requirements set out in Annex V to Regulation (EU) 2018/1139 and with the requirements of this Regulation. The accountable manager shall be responsible for establishing and maintaining an effective management system.
2. The operator shall:
   1. identify the responsibilities of its personnel for all tasks and activities to be performed;
   2. have sufficient qualified personnel to carry out those tasks and activities; and
   3. maintain appropriate experience, qualification and training records of its personnel.
3. The operator shall nominate one or more persons responsible for the management and supervision of all of the following areas:
   1. flight operations;
   2. ground operations;
   3. continuing airworthiness, in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 1321/2014.

ED Decision 2018/004/R

The smallest operator that can be considered is the one-person operator where all of the nominated posts are filled by the accountable manager.

ED Decision 2018/004/R

1. A description of the functions and the responsibilities of the nominated persons, including their names, should be contained in the operations manual.
2. The operator should make arrangements to ensure continuity of supervision in the absence of nominated persons.
3. A person nominated by the operator, who has already been nominated by another operator, may be acceptable subject to the agreement of the competent authorities concerned.
4. Nominated persons should work sufficient hours to fulfil the management functions associated with the scale and scope of the operation.
5. One person may hold more than one of the nominated posts if such an arrangement is considered suitable and properly matched to the scale and scope of the operation.
6. The acceptability of a single person holding several posts, possibly in combination with being the accountable manager, should depend upon the nature and scale of the operation. The two main areas of concern should be competence and the individual’s capacity to meet his or her responsibilities.
7. As regards competence in different areas of responsibility, there should not be any difference from the requirements applicable to persons holding only one post.
8. The capacity of an individual to meet his or her responsibilities should primarily be dependent upon the scale of the operation. However, the complexity of the organisation or of the operation may prevent, or limit, combinations of posts which may be acceptable in other circumstances.

ED Decision 2018/004/R

1. Nominated persons in accordance with BOP.ADD.040 possess the experience and meet the licensing provisions that are listed below in (b) to (e). Exceptionally, in particular cases, the competent authority may accept a nomination that does not meet these provisions in full. In that case, the nominee has comparable experience and also the ability to perform effectively the functions associated with the post and with the scale of the operation.
2. Nominated persons have:
   1. practical experience and expertise in the application of aviation safety standards and safe operating practices;
   2. comprehensive knowledge of:
      1. the applicable EU safety regulations and any associated requirements and procedures; and
      2. the need for, and content of, the relevant parts of the operations manual; and
   3. 3 years of relevant work experience.
3. Flight operations
   The nominated person:
   1. holds or has held a valid flight crew licence and the associated ratings appropriate to the relevant type of operation; or
   2. has demonstrated in another manner thorough knowledge of the relevant flight operations.
4. Ground operations
   The nominated person has a thorough knowledge of the operator’s ground operations concept.
5. Continuing airworthiness
   The nominated person has the relevant knowledge and meets the appropriate experience requirements related to balloon continuing airworthiness as detailed in Regulation (EU) No 1321/2014¹⁾

BOP.ADD.045 Facility requirements