Until 2016 the teaching and testing of aviation English has been largely unregulated and interpretations / decisions regarding standards are largely up to individual stakeholders, e.g. airlines, national civil aviation departments and test designers.
The arbitrary application of standards has led to a number of recorded abuses.
The Aviation English Organisation has been established to provide clear information about standards, structure and guidance to those involved in teaching and testing. This is done through the AEROSTA Framework which assesses to what degree a course or test fulfils the requirements stipulated in ICAO Document 9835 and Circular 323.
A further goal is to promote greater transparency so that airlines can make more informed decisions regarding language training and testing.