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UK Civil Aviation Regulations

These are published by the CAA on our UK Regulations pages. EU Regulations and EASA Access Guides published by EASA no longer apply in the UK. Our website and publications are being reviewed to update all references. Any references to EU law and EASA Access guides should be disregarded and where applicable the equivalent UK versions referred to instead.



The security of the UK aviation industry is vitally important in protecting the UK, its infrastructure and the travelling public. Our compliance team are responsible for ensuring that the aviation industry meets the security requirements set out in UK and international law, but also that where issues arise they are rectified swiftly. They make assessments based on observations, inspections, audits and tests to ensure all processes and procedures are compliant. In addition, Security Management Systems (SeMS) are being rolled out to the aviation industry and a team is in place to manage the process and its delivery.

Airports

Our airport security compliance team is responsible for assessing UK airports in a broad spectrum of areas. These include (but are not limited to):

  • the screening of passengers and airport staff
  • the screening of airport goods
  • assessment, training and recruitment standards for all airport employees
  • ensuring the integrity of security screening equipment
  • reviewing airport infrastructure security, risk assessments and contingencies

Airlines

The secure operation of aircraft is vital for the safety of the travelling public. There are 23 UK-registered air carriers and approximately 290 foreign air carriers flying into the UK, all of whom are required to comply with UK security measures. Our air carrier security compliance team monitor adherence to these regulations, which include (but are not limited to):

  • boarding procedures
  • screening of baggage
  • aircraft search requirements
  • aircraft cockpit security
  • security training
  • recruitment

Air cargo

Around 80% of air cargo is carried on passenger aircraft so it is important that all air cargo is robustly screened to ensure that prohibited articles are not part of the flown cargo. Our cargo security compliance team audit and inspect all CAA authorised cargo regulated agents to ensure that the appropriate screening methods are invoked and that the secure supply chain is maintained from point of origin to the point of uplift.

Aircraft in-flight supplies

In-flight catering can make a journey more enjoyable but it needs to be secure. Our in-flight supplies security compliance team audit and inspect all CAA authorised in-flight supplies providers to ensure that they have robust procedures to prevent prohibited articles being introduced into the catering and on-board supplied.