Civil Aviation Authority (United Kingdom)

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is the statutory corporation which oversees and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the United Kingdom. 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).

Civil Aviation Authority
AbbreviationCAA
Formation1972
Legal statusStatutory corporation
PurposeAviation regulator
Location
Region served
United Kingdom
British Overseas Territories, Crown Dependencies
Chief Executive
Richard Moriarty
Chair­person
Sir Stephen Hillier
Parent organization
Department for Transport
Websitecaa.co.uk
CAA House, the CAA head office

The CAA is a public corporation of the Department for Transport, liaising with the government via the Standards Group of the Cabinet Office.

Functions

The CAA directly or indirectly regulates all aspects of aviation in the UK. In some aspects of aviation it is the primary regulator. Prior to the UK's departure from the European Union, some areas, where the responsibility for regulation has passed to the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), the CAA acted as EASA's local office, implementing the regulations. Representatives from the CAA used to sit on EASA's advisory bodies, taking part in the Europe-wide regulation process. Following the end of the tranistion period, on the 1st Jan. 2021, the UK is no longer an EASA participant; whilst there are some elements of continuity follow the UK-EU trade agreement, they do not constitute a replication of the UK’s regulatory arrangements as part of the EASA/EU framework. [1]

The UK government requires that the CAA's costs are met entirely from its charges on those whom it regulates. Unlike many other countries, there is no direct government funding of the CAA's work. It is classed as a public corporation, established by statute, in the public sector. The connection it has with the government is via the machinery of government and the Standards Group of the Cabinet Office.

Responsibilities

The CAA regulates (approximately):

  • Active professional and private pilots (50,000)
  • Licensed aircraft engineers (12,400)
  • Air traffic controllers (2,350)
  • Airlines (206)
  • Licensed aerodromes (241)
  • Organisations involved in the design, production and maintenance of aircraft (950)
  • ATOL holders (2,400)
  • Aircraft registered in the UK (19,000)
  • Alternative Dispute Resolution providers

ATOL

The CAA also oversees the Air Travel Organisers' Licensing (ATOL).

By law, every UK travel company which sells air holidays and flights is required to hold an ATOL, which stands for Air Travel Organiser's Licence.

If a travel company with an ATOL ceases trading, the ATOL scheme protects customers who had booked holidays with the firm. It ensures they do not get stranded abroad or lose money.

The scheme is designed to reassure customers that their money is safe, and will provide assistance in the event of a travel company failure.

History

Before 1972, regulation of aviation was the responsibility of the Air Registration Board.

The CAA was established in 1972, under the terms of the Civil Aviation Act 1971, following the recommendations of a government committee chaired by Sir Ronald Edwards.[2] The CAA has been a public corporation of the Department for Transport since then.[3]

The Civil Aviation Act 1982 was an Act of Parliament to address evolving conditions, and currently governs air flight in the UK.

Responsibility for air traffic control in the UK passed to NATS in the run-up to the establishment of its public-private partnership in 2001.

The priorities of the chair, as recorded by letter upon the accession to government of the Cameron–Clegg coalition were, chief amongst others:[4]

  • to continue to develop UK State Safety Programme to meet ICAO requirements
  • to set a cross-industry agenda in order to address potential safety risks
  • to take action to foster a risk-based and proportionate safety management capability
  • to work with European and International partners in order to drive global standards in safety improvement

From 1 April 2014, the CAA took over a number of aviation security functions from the Department for Transport. The new Directorate of Aviation Security within the CAA now manages rule-making and compliance to deliver proportionate and focussed regulation for UK aviation to ensure the highest standards of security across the civil aviation sector. Air Safety Support International, a subsidiary of the CAA, is responsible for air safety in the British Overseas Territories.[5] The CAA also manages all national security vetting for the aviation industry.

Before the end of the Brexit transition period, the CAA is a member of the EASA; as such, it sends representatives to the EASA Management Board.[6]

After the end of the transition period, the CAA will no longer be a member of the EASA:

  • The official position of EASA on Brexit was in 2019 partially that "The withdrawal will significantly alter EASA’s cooperation with UK authorities and will not leave EASA’s stakeholders untouched."[7]
  • The official position of transport secretary was "As you would expect from an independent nation, we can’t be subject to the rules and laws made by somebody else, so we can’t accept rules from the EU commission and we can’t accept rulings in terms of court cases from the European court of justice or anybody else, any more than the US would".[8]

Chair

Sir Roy McNulty (-2009) was in post as chair for eight years until his retirement in 2009.[9][10]

Dame Deirdre Hutton (August 2009 - August 2020) was appointed to chair the CAA in 2009 by Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon.[10][11] and was still posted in 2017.[12]

Sir Stephen Hillier (August 2020 - ) was approved by Parliament in June 2020 and took the post in August of the same year.[13]

Chief Executive

Andrew Haines was Chief Executive until 2018 when his term of office was allowed to expire normally.[12]

On 30 November 2017, the board appointed Richard Moriarty as Chief Executive. He acceded the job in summer 2018.[12]

Geography

The CAA head office is located in Aviation House on the grounds of Gatwick Airport in Crawley, Sussex. The Authority relocated from its previous London head office in early 2019, moving its head office functions to its existing office at Aviation House, as well as opening a new London branch office at Westferry Circus, Canary Wharf by that July.[14]

GA regulation

General aviation is an official category that covers a wide range of unscheduled air activity such as flying clubs and training establishments. In 2013 the CAA announced a new approach to regulating GA which will be more proportionate. A new dedicated GA unit was established in 2014 www.caa.co.uk/ga

CAA Flying Unit
Preserved de Havilland Dove aircraft G-ALFU of CAA at Duxford Airfield, EGSU

The CAA was also responsible for the calibration of navigation and approach aids until the Flight Calibration Services group was privatised and sold to Flight Precision Ltd in 1996.

The history of the Civil Aviation Flying Unit (CAFU) can be traced back to the Air Ministry's Civil Operations Fleet founded in 1944. The CAA and its predecessors have operated 49 aircraft of 13, primarily British, aircraft types including de Havilland Tiger Moths, Avro Ansons, Airspeed Consuls, Percival Princes, de Havilland Doves,[15] Hawker Siddeley HS 748s[16][17] and Hawker Siddeley HS 125s.[18][19]

The roles performed by CAFU aircraft included:

  • Calibration and testing of radio/radar navigational aids in the UK and overseas
  • Flight testing of candidates for the initial issue of commercial pilots' licences, instrument ratings and instructor ratings
  • Training and testing of authorised instrument and type-rating examiners
  • Carriage of Government Ministers, MEPs and other officials
  • Charter flights for Dan-Air Services Ltd
  • Radar target flying for the College of Air Traffic Control
  • Ordnance Survey photographic flights
  • Airport lighting inspections
  • Aerodrome categorisation and evaluation flights
  • Trials of new equipment and procedures, e.g. Microwave Landing Systems, ground proximity warning systems, Extended Range Twin-engine Operations (ETOPS)
  • Refresher flying for Flight Operations Inspectors and other staff
  • Educational flights for local schools,[20][21][22]

Beyond the privatisation of the calibration service in 1996, the Civil Aviation Authority operated two HS 125-700 aircraft successively up until 2002, providing conversion and continuation flying for professional CAA pilots, conducting radar trials for National Air Traffic Services (NATS) and serving the CAA, NATS and Highlands & Islands Airports Ltd (HIAL) in the communications role.

Previous to the privatisation, Stansted Airport had been the home of Flight Calibration; however, in 1996 the department was moved to Teesside Airport in the North East of England with the photographic laboratory services contracted out to a local company, HighLight Photographics.

CAA Signals Training Establishment (STE) – Bletchley Park

Based mainly in 'A', 'B' and 'E' Blocks and with further Navigation Aid and Radar classrooms on the northwest corner of the park (now occupied by housing), the STE trained technicians to maintain airport and en-route telecommunications and navigational aids for UK airport and en-route services, including telecommunications, navigational aids and radar.

A two-to-three-year locally domiciled apprenticeship trained technicians who were then posted to airports or en-route centres for on-going employment. STE also provided training facilities for existing technicians to keep up to date with technological developments or to enhance their skills on a broader range of equipments.

Apprentices had exclusive use of the 'AT Club' (Apprentice Technicians Club) and also to the Bletchley Park 'Radio Shack' with a call-sign of 'G4BWD' – 'Golf Four Building Works Department', able to access the 2-metre band.

In 1974, STE developed a newer training course, reducing training to a one-to-two-year period for higher-qualified ('A'-level and beyond) entrants, nicknamed 'Super-ATs' or 'Super-Techs'.

CAA College of Telecommunications Engineering (CTE) – Bletchley

In 1975/1976, the 'Signals Training Establishment' was renamed the 'College of Telecommunications Engineering', with 'Apprentice Technicians' being re-badged as 'Engineer Cadets', no longer passing out as 'Radio Technicians' but as 'Air Traffic Engineers'.

See also

References
  1. "CAA UK-EU transition information".
  2. "1969 – 0839 – Flight Archive". Retrieved 21 September 2016.
  3. "Civil Aviation Authority – GOV.UK". GOV.UK. HM Government. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
  4. "Letter to Chair from Secretary of State" (PDF). Civil Aviation Authority. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 June 2011.
  5. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 23 July 2015. Retrieved 3 July 2015.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. "home -> easa & you -> international cooperation -> easa by country -> united kingdom". EASA.
  7. "home -> the agency -> brexit". EASA. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
  8. Busby, Mattha (7 March 2020). "UK to withdraw from EU aviation safety regulator, Shapps says". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  9. "Sir Roy McNulty Retires as UK CAA chairman". Civil Aviation Authority. Retrieved 26 January 2012.
  10. Auslan Cramb (21 April 2010). "Deirdre Hutton, CAA chairman: profile". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 26 January 2012.
  11. "CAA Board and Staff". Civil Aviation Authority. Archived from the original on 26 February 2011.
  12. "Civil Aviation Authority appoints Richard Moriarty as new Chief Executive". caa.co.uk. Civil Aviation Authority. 30 November 2017. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
  13. "Committee approves appointment of Sir Stephen Hillier as Chair of CAA - News from Parliament". UK Parliament. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  14. "Gatwick office becomes the official CAA Headquarters | UK Civil Aviation Authority". www.caa.co.uk. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
  15. "Aviation Photo #1055124: De Havilland DH-104 Dove 6 – Civil Aviation Authority". Retrieved 21 September 2016.
  16. "Aviation Photo #0600444: Hawker Siddeley HS-748 Srs2A/238 – Civil Aviation Authority". Retrieved 21 September 2016.
  17. "Aviation Photo #0827658: Hawker Siddeley HS-748 Srs2/238 – Civil Aviation Authority". Retrieved 21 September 2016.
  18. "Aviation Photo #1317297: British Aerospace HS-125-700A – Civil Aviation Authority". Retrieved 21 September 2016.
  19. National Archives BT 267
  20. 'Airway' July 1972, CAA Library
  21. Safety Was No Accident, CAFU 1944–1996 by James Fuller, ISBN 978-1-4669-6894-3/
  22. Home. CAFU History. Retrieved on 16 August 2013.
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