What is the difference between an ATO and a DTO?
An Approved Training Organisation (ATO) is approved by the authority under Part-ORA and may deliver the full range of training, up to CPL, ATPL theory, instrument and type ratings. A Declared Training Organisation (DTO) instead submits a declaration to the CAA and is limited to LAPL and PPL training with a defined set of associated ratings. An ATO seeks approval before it operates; a DTO declares that it meets the requirements and is overseen against that declaration.
The difference is the level of oversight the training carries, and therefore the training an organisation is allowed to deliver. An ATO holds a formal approval: the CAA assesses its management system, its training programmes and its post holders before it may run courses, which is what allows it to train towards professional licences and the more demanding ratings.
A DTO carries a lighter footprint. It submits a declaration that it meets the applicable requirements and can begin training on that basis, but its privileges are capped: LAPL and PPL courses, the sailplane and balloon licences, and a named set of additional ratings and endorsements such as night, aerobatic or towing. It cannot deliver CPL, ATPL, instrument ratings or integrated courses.
Both keep training records to the same standard the CAA expects, and both are inspected. Many clubs operate as a DTO and grow into an ATO as their ambitions extend past the PPL.
ATO: approved first
The authority assesses the organisation and approves it under Part-ORA before it trains, which is what lets it deliver professional licences and type ratings.
DTO: declared, then overseen
The organisation declares it meets the requirements and begins on that basis, within a capped scope of LAPL, PPL and named associated ratings.
Records to the same standard
Whether approved or declared, training records must be traceable, protected from alteration and retained after a course completes.
Questions people ask
- Can a DTO train for a CPL or an instrument rating?
- No. A DTO is limited to LAPL and PPL training and a defined set of associated ratings. Training towards a CPL, ATPL or instrument rating requires approval as an ATO.
- Is a DTO less regulated than an ATO?
- It carries lighter approval, not lighter records. A DTO declares it meets the requirements rather than being approved in advance, but it is still overseen by the CAA and keeps training records to the same expectations.
- Can a club be both?
- A single organisation operates as one or the other for a given activity. Many clubs run as a DTO for PPL training and apply for ATO approval when they want to deliver professional courses or instrument ratings.