Aerospace and defence manufacturing has a genuinely unique certification landscape: AS9100, the aerospace-specific quality standard, requires certification from a body specifically accredited for aerospace (via ANAB, UKAS, or equivalent), with the resulting certificate registered in the industry's OASIS database — this is what Boeing, Airbus, Lockheed Martin, and other primes actually check. ISO 9001 and ISO 45001 don't carry this same specific accreditation requirement. London Cert Ltd is a UK-registered certification body — we're honest about which of these we issue directly and which require the specific accredited pathway.
Why AS9100 Is Genuinely Different
AS9100 is built on ISO 9001's foundational structure but adds aerospace-specific requirements: configuration management, first article inspection, counterfeit parts prevention, special process controls, and risk management specific to flight-critical components. What makes AS9100 fundamentally different from most other standards on our site is the OASIS database — a specific requirement of the aerospace quality management system that a certification body issuing an AS9100 certificate must be accredited specifically for aerospace (not just general ISO 9001 accreditation) and must register the resulting certificate in this database. Aerospace primes and their supply chains check OASIS directly; a certificate not listed there simply won't be recognised, regardless of the underlying audit quality.
This is genuinely different from most standards we work with. For AS9100, we're upfront: London Cert conducts your readiness assessment and gap analysis directly, then connects you with an appropriately accredited AS9100 certification body for the actual accredited audit and OASIS registration — because that's what the aerospace supply chain requires, and we won't claim otherwise.
ISO 9001 and ISO 45001 — Where We Issue Directly
For manufacturers not required to hold OASIS-registered AS9100 — for example, supplying domestic defence programmes rather than commercial aerospace primes, or earlier-stage suppliers building toward AS9100 — ISO 9001 and ISO 45001 are genuinely useful, standalone credentials. London Cert conducts the full audit and issues these certificates directly ourselves, as a UK-registered certification body, globally recognised.
Building Toward AS9100
Many manufacturers start with ISO 9001, building the core quality management foundation, before adding the aerospace-specific layer AS9100 requires. This staged approach is genuinely practical — the ISO 9001 work isn't wasted, since AS9100 builds directly on that same structure.
Who Needs Aerospace/Defence Certification?
- Component and parts manufacturers supplying aerospace primes or Tier 1/2 aerospace suppliers directly
- Defence manufacturers supplying domestic or allied government defence programmes
- Aerospace MRO (maintenance, repair, overhaul) organisations
- Precision manufacturers building toward aerospace supply chain entry
We won't claim to issue an OASIS-registered AS9100 certificate ourselves — that's simply not accurate, and a certificate that isn't genuinely recognised by aerospace primes would do your business real harm during supplier audits. For ISO 9001 and ISO 45001, London Cert Ltd conducts your full audit directly and issues your certificate directly ourselves.
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Real value of honest aerospace/defence certification
Based on outcomes reported by manufacturers we've supported.
Genuine Aerospace Supply Chain Access
An OASIS-registered AS9100 certificate, obtained via the right accredited pathway, genuinely opens doors with aerospace primes — a fake shortcut won't.
Real Market AccessDomestic Defence Tender Access
ISO 9001 and ISO 45001, issued directly by us, often satisfy domestic defence manufacturing tender requirements.
Tender-ReadyReduced Flight-Critical Risk
Structured quality and configuration management genuinely reduces risk in components where failure has serious consequences.
Real Risk ReductionStaged, Sensible Investment
Starting with ISO 9001 before AS9100 means your quality management investment isn't wasted — AS9100 builds directly on it.
Efficient PathwayNo False Shortcuts
We won't sell you an AS9100 certificate that won't actually pass an OASIS check — that would cost you far more than the time saved.
Genuine ProtectionCoordinated, Not Confusing
We manage the coordination between your readiness work and the accredited AS9100 body, so the process feels like one journey, not two.
Simplified ProcessWhat aerospace & defence manufacturers say about London Cert
Verified reviews from manufacturers we've supported.
London Cert was upfront from day one that AS9100 needed an accredited body for OASIS registration — they didn't try to sell us something that wouldn't actually work with our aerospace customer.
We built our ISO 9001 foundation with London Cert first, then moved to AS9100 with their accredited partner — the transition was genuinely smooth given the shared structure.
For our domestic defence contract, ISO 9001 and 45001 from London Cert covered exactly what the tender required — no unnecessary AS9100 overhead for our current scope.