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glossary

Federal Aviation Office / LBA

As the higher federal authority in Germany, the Luftfahrt-Bundesamt (LBA) is responsible for tasks related to civil aviation. It is a technical testing and licensing authority, but also has supervisory powers. The legal basis for the activity is the “Act on the Federal Aviation Authority”. The LBA is assigned to the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI).
The history of the LBA begins in 1953 with the establishment of the “Provisional Federal Agency for Aviation Equipment and Aircraft Accident Investigation” (VBL). The office was initially in Bonn. In 1955 the headquarters were moved to Braunschweig and the name was changed to “Luftfahrt-Bundesamt”. Today, the LBA has a good 1,000 employees. Organizationally, the authority is divided into the five departments of Operations, Technology, Human Resources, Aviation Security and Central Services. Branch offices are located at the six airport locations of Berlin, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt/Main, Hamburg, Munich and Stuttgart. The air traffic control department belonging to the office is also located in Langen near Frankfurt/Main.

The tasks and responsibilities of the LBA are defined in detail in the law on the Federal Aviation Authority. They include in particular

  • the certification of aircraft and the issuance of aircraft registration;
  • the approval and supervision of airlines and aviation companies, for example aircraft manufacturers or maintenance companies;
  • the training, testing and licensing of aviation personnel (including pilots, air traffic controllers);
  • the granting of permits for training companies and the examination and licensing of technical personnel.