Definition
An FAA inspector assigned to oversee the flight operations of a specific air carrier or operator certificate holder. The POI is the FAA's primary point of contact for matters concerning crew training, operating procedures, route authorizations, manuals, and approvals such as special navigation or off-airway route requests.
Plain English
The FAA inspector personally responsible for keeping an eye on how a particular airline or commercial operator runs its flight operations. When that operator needs FAA approval for something, this is the person who reviews and signs off on it.
Context Anchor
Seen in FAA guidance about operator approvals, including use of off-airway routes and company flight procedures.
Derivation
‘Principal’ comes from Latin principalis, meaning ‘first in importance.’ The POI is the lead FAA inspector for an operator's flight operations — the principal one assigned to that certificate.
Why Pilots Care
The POI controls which procedures and changes an operator may use, directly affecting day-to-day flight operations and compliance.
Intuition Check
POI does not mean any FAA inspector. Here it means the main FAA operations inspector assigned to oversee a specific operator.
Example Sentence 1
Before the company could begin flying the new off-airway route, the POI had to review and approve the proposed procedures.
Example Sentence 2
Operators must submit route changes to their POI for review prior to implementation.