TS EN 9104-1

TS EN 9104-1 is the standard that addresses the requirements of the ICOP scheme used for quality management system certification in the aerospace, space, and defence sectors. Its focus is on ensuring that QMS certificates issued by accredited certification bodies create confidence that organizations meet the applicable AQMS requirements. In practical terms, it frames the common expectations for how certification activities are organized and trusted across the industry.

The ICOP scheme and the roles involved

The scope applies to all participants in the ICOP scheme, so it serves as a common reference for certification bodies, parties involved in assessment activities, and users in the aerospace supply chain who rely on certification outcomes. In general technical context, ICOP supports a consistent interpretation of quality assurance in aerospace, space, and defence by making the reliability and consistency of certification just as important as the mere existence of a QMS certificate.

Priority of requirements and what this document is not

The document explicitly states that, where there is a conflict, customer requirements or applicable statutory/regulatory requirements take precedence. This clarifies the hierarchy between sector-specific certification rules and external obligations. For users, the standard is important as a framework for confidence in AQMS certification, but it is not a product standard or a technical performance specification on its own.

From a broader technical perspective, quality management system certification is an independent assessment framework for an organization’s processes, competence, traceability, and continual improvement approach. In high-reliability sectors such as aerospace and defence, this framework provides a common language across the supply chain and helps different organizations be evaluated against the same quality expectations.