General Aviation ‘Red Tape’ Regulations Alterations Planned by the UK

It has been announced that the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) plan to look at what are deemed as unnecessary bureaucracy regulations within the UK general aviation industry this week.

The GA Red Tape Challenge, launched in April, includes proposed changes by the CAA which have been suggested by GA industry stakeholders and operators, in the hope that a deregulation of certain aspects of the industry will be affected.

It has been said by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) that the Department of Transport in the UK can start to apply the same safety requirements expected of commercial aviation to non-commercial under EU regulations for the fitness and performance program (REFIT).  The CAA will be looking for clarification of the regulatory conditions for GA aircraft.

Robert Goodwill, aviation minister for the Department of Transport said, “General aviation is an extremely important sector of UK civil aviation and it is right that we do everything possible to enable it to thrive. That includes making sure that, where appropriate, we ease the burden on what are often smaller operators and businesses who find navigating a complex regulatory framework particularly challenging.”

“We are absolutely committed to improving the way we regulate GA. We have made a start, for instance deregulating in some areas and delegating responsibilities in others. But there is much more we can do,” said Dame Deirdre Hutton, chairman of the CAA. “The new, dedicated GA Unit is a formal recognition that GA needs a different and less onerous regulatory regime to commercial air transport.”

In the US, similar reforms are being proposed by the General Aviation Manufacturers Association, who are awaiting decisions to be made by the Senate in relation to smaller aircraft and the FAA’s regulatory conditions for the category.