Part 139 requires the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to provide operation certificates to airports and to any Aviation Administrator who may be in need of such a certificate. However, the Part 139 does not include airports where the carrier passenger operations are carried out as an alternate designation (Young & Wells, 2011). These operating certificates are symbols for safety within the airport thus provide assurance.
Inspection of Movement Area. One of the major phases of Part 139 Certification is inspection of the movement area. This includes inspecting the runway end-approach slopes, movement areas to analyze their conditions, evaluating the ground activities, protecting the public against any unexpected blast among others. This phase ensures the aircraft’s safety during departure and when landing. It thus provides a guideline on when and where an aircraft departs from and land through. It is very crucial for such inspection activities to be undertaken since they ensure that no accidents occur within the movement areas and thus facilitates safety within the airport.
Moreover, fueling facilities also require inspection as per Part 139 Certification requirements (Young & Wells, 2011). Inspection of fuel facilities is necessary in ensuring that all the facilities are free from danger. It also ensures that the tenant fueling agent has a certification for handling aero-plane fuels.
In the given case, the aircraft knocked a piece of metal during departure causing a tire failure, the pieces pierced the fuel tank which later resulted into a fire ignition. In my opinion, a well trained and certified agent is bound to identify and recognize any possible risk within the airport. Thus the fuel facility inspection ensures that everything is fixed and in place prior and during the flight.
In conclusion, I would argue that certification of an airport is a highly commendable process. This is because it helps in ensuring that all the operations within an airport are standardized and in compliance with Part 139 Certification Process requirements. Additionally, since all airports are offered with Airport Operations certificates only after meeting the requirements as per Part 139 by thorough inspection before approval, safety at the airports is facilitated and well maintained. Although the risk of accidents may not be completely eliminated, Part 139 Certification Process ensures that safety rules and measures are observed during air transportation.