Knowledge databank

Yes, both are technically equivalent. The AS-9100 is the American standard while the EN-9100 is the European standard.

By managing, controlling, and auditing your own processes, as well as having an outside certification body verifying that your QMS meet the requirements, your customers can know that everything is well in hand.

As the internationally recognized standard for aerospace Quality Management Systems, AS/EN-9100 is based on seven quality management principles that are recognized as necessary to make a Quality Management System work. Your customers will be content to know that your QMS is also based on these principles. To find out more about these principles, which are also applicable to ISO 9001, see this article on The seven quality management principles behind ISO 9001 requirements.

One of the biggest benefits of AS/EN-9100 certification is that every certified company must be included on the Online Aerospace Supplier Information System (OAIS) maintained by the IAQG. This is a searchable database that is available for any company in the aerospace industry that is looking at supplier selection and surveillance, and includes not only information about each company, but also contact information for purchasing.

A first article inspection (FAI) is a planned, complete, independent, and documented inspection and verification process to ensure that prescribed production processes have produced an item conforming to engineering drawings, Digital Production Definition*, planning, purchase order, engineering specifications, and/or other applicable design documents.

Purpose of FAI’s is to identify product realization processes that are not capable of producing conforming product, and initiate and/or validate corrective actions.

An FAI must be performed on new products that are representative of the first production cycle. The first parts for this production delivery require an FAI.

This process must be repeated if changes occur that (may) affect the original results (for example engineering changes, changes in the manufacturing process, changes in the tool).

Summarized: FAI is a validation method within the Production Process.

*e.g. 2D and 3D drawings or models

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AS/EN-9100 is the international Quality Management System standard for the Aviation, Space and Defense (AS&D) industry, created by the IAQG, and AS9100 Rev D (2016) and EN-9100:2018 are the most recent version.

The standard provides suppliers with requirements for creating and maintaining a comprehensive quality system for providing safe and reliable products to the Aviation Space and Defense industry, as well as civil & military aviation requirements.

The AS/EN-9100 standard specifies the QMS requirements to be documented and implemented by organisations designing, developing and manufacturing aerospace products.

EN-9100 certified means and organisation has met the requirements of EN-9100:2018.