AS9100

AS9100 is the aerospace industry's quality management standard, built on top of ISO 9001 with about a hundred additional clauses that exist because aircraft parts kill people when they fail. It is the price of entry to manufacture flight hardware for any Tier 1 or OEM. The current revision is AS9100D (released 2016, still in effect). The next-tier standards are AS9110 for MRO providers and AS9120 for distributors of aerospace parts. Most aerospace manufacturers carry AS9100 plus AS9110 if they do any repair work in-house. Certification runs through accredited registrars on a three-year cycle: initial cert, two annual surveillance audits, then recertification. A real audit costs $25K to $60K depending on facility count and product complexity, and the prep work to pass one consumes a Quality Manager's full attention for 6 to 9 months. Losing AS9100 is a business-ending event for an aerospace supplier. Roles where this matters: Quality, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Operations.