Aviation in the United Kingdom

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Aviation in the United Kingdom refers to the activities surrounding

mechanical flight in the United Kingdom
, in both civilian and military contexts.

Civil aviation

Civil aviation is conducted under the supervision of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), a statutory corporation which oversees and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the United Kingdom.[1] Its areas of responsibility include:

  • Supervising the issuing of pilots' licences, testing of equipment, calibrating of navaids, and many other inspections (Civil Aviation Flying Unit).
  • Managing the regulation of security standards, including vetting of all personnel in the aviation industry (Directorate of Aviation Security).
  • Overseeing the national protection scheme for customers abroad in the event of a travel company failure (Air Travel Organisers' Licensing – ATOL).

The CAA is a public corporation of the

Ministry of Technology[2] which took on the supply of military aircraft, while regulatory responsibilities were switched to the Board of Trade
.

busiest airports in the world. More than half of all passengers travelling by air in the UK currently travel via the six London area airports. Outside London, Manchester Airport is by far the largest and busiest of the remaining airports, acting as a hub for the 20 million or so people who live within a two-hour drive. Regional airports have experienced the most growth in recent years, due to the success of 'no-frills' airlines over the last decade. In 2013 the UK had the third highest number of passengers carried of any country, behind only the United States and China.[3]

Outside of air transport,

air ambulances, and flight training, which plays an important role in the supply of pilots to the commercial air transport (CAT) industry. Private flying is conducted for personal transport and recreation. It includes a strong vintage aircraft movement, and encompasses a range of air sports, such as racing, aerobatics, and parachuting
, at which British teams and individuals have succeeded in international competition.

Organisations in the United Kingdom (UK) describe GA in less restrictive terms that include elements of commercial aviation. The British Business and General Aviation Association interprets it to be "all aeroplane and helicopter flying except that performed by the major airlines and the Armed Services".[4] The General Aviation Awareness Council applies the description "all Civil Aviation operations other than scheduled air services and non-scheduled air transport operations for remuneration or hire".[5] For the purposes of a strategic review of GA in the UK, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) defined the scope of GA as "a civil aircraft operation other than a commercial air transport flight operating to a schedule", and considered it necessary to depart from the ICAO definition and include aerial work and minor CAT operations.[6]

Of the 21,000 civil aircraft registered in the UK,

regional airports
to farm strips, over 80 per cent of GA activity is conducted at 134 of the larger aerodromes. The GA industry, which is around 7 per cent the size of its CAT cousin, employs 12,000 people, and contributes £1.4 billion to the UK economy.

Police aviation

PSNI is unique in that it, currently, is the only force to operate an aeroplane. Police aviation in England and Wales was once a force-by-force, or forces working in partnership, organisation, however from April 2012 it gradually became centralised as the National Police Air Service.[8] The final force to join, the Metropolitan Police
, joined in 2015.

See also

References

  1. ^ "1969 – 0839 – Flight Archive". Retrieved 21 September 2016.
  2. ISBN 978-0-521-57127-2
    .
  3. ^ World Bank Datebase, http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/IS.AIR.PSGR
  4. ^ "What is General Aviation?". British Business and General Aviation Association. Retrieved 2008-06-03.
  5. ^ "What is General Aviation?". General Aviation Awareness Council. 2006-07-06. Retrieved 2008-06-03.
  6. CAA. July 2006. pp. i, paras. 9–10, Overview of the Strategic Review. Archived from the original
    (PDF) on 25 February 2009. Retrieved 4 June 2008. This article uses the CAA description to define the scope of general aviation in the UK, on the basis that this organisation is the regulatory body for aviation in the UK and the publisher of a key source.
  7. CAA. Archived from the original
    (PDF) on 10 September 2012. Retrieved 21 December 2010.
  8. ^ "New plans for a national police air service". Association of Chief Police Officers. 26 October 2010. Archived from the original on 4 January 2013. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
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