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UK-EU Transition

References to EU regulation or EU websites in our guidance will not be an accurate description of your obligations or rights under UK law.read more

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Airworthiness Directives

Including UK Airworthiness Directives and Proposed Airworthiness Directives
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  • Airworthiness Directives (ADs) are issued to address unsafe conditions.

    Aircraft on the UK Register are required to comply with all applicable Airworthiness Directives.  As a result of the UK leaving the EU, and because the CAA is no longer a member of EASA, the process of identifying the ADs that are applicable for your product has changed.  For ADs issued for a product, part or appliance from 01/01/2021, you should contact the National Aviation Authority of the State of Design.  Links to other NAAs websites are listed further down.  Section 1, Part 1 of CAP 747 provides flowcharts to assist in identifying the applicable ADs and other mandatory requirements for airworthiness relating to your product.

    Prior to July 2003, UK ADs for UK Products were a number only linked to a CAA declared Mandatory Service Bulletin (SB) issued by the Type Certificate Holder. If you have the SB you have the AD. These AD and SB Numbers are listed in CAP 476, which is current at final issue (September 2004) and no longer amended. Those Service Bulletins remain mandatory under EU regulations, unless cancelled and/or superseded by a new AD.

    Mandatory Requirements issued by the CAA for non-Part 21 products of UK Design or CAA ADs for Part 21 products issued under Article 70 of Regulation (EU) No. 2018/1139 are available for download from the website until they are published in CAA publication CAP 747.

    ADs awaiting incorporation in CAP 747.

    See the guidance on approval of Alternative Method of Compliance to an Airworthiness Directive for details on how to make an application for the approval of an AMOC to an AD.

    Enquiries regarding ADs should be sent to the AD Unit.

  • Emergency Airworthiness Directives

    When the urgency of a situation precludes consultation, priority publication of mandatory continuing airworthiness information will be by means of an Emergency AD.

    To receive Notification of EADs you will need to register for our free publications subscription service > New User Subscription and choose the 'Safety Critical Information' category, this was previously the 'Emergency Airworthiness Directives' category. Once you have subscribed you will be notified every time a new EAD is published on the CAA website.

    PLEASE NOTE THAT THE SAFETY CRITICAL INFORMATION CATEGORY ALSO INCLUDES MANDATORY PERMIT DIRECTIVES.

    CAA EADs will be available until cancelled and are published in CAP 747, other EADs will be available for a period of two months from date of issue and then they will be removed, they may then be obtained from the originating NAA.

    Emergency ADs list

    Proposed Airworthiness Directives (PADs)

    CAA PADs for products of UK design are available for review and comment. The closing date for comments is stated at the end of the PAD. Comments should be sent to the AD Unit mailbox. 

    • CAA National PADs
    • EASA PADs can be viewed on the EASA Website.

    Links to other Foreign NAA websites

    Argentina ANAC Administración Nacional de Aviación Civil
    Australia Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA)
    Austria Austrocontrol - Airworthiness Directives Page
    Brazil Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil (ANAC)
    Canada Transport Canada (TC)
    Czech Rep ÚCL/CAA - Czech Civil Aviation Authority
    Denmark Danish Transport Authority - Civil Aviation
    EASA European Aviation Safety Agency
    Finland Finnish Civil Aviation Authority
    France Groupement pour la sécurité de l'aviation civile
    Germany LBA - Airworthiness Directives Page
    Indonesia Directorate General for Civil Aviation
    Israel Civil Aviation Authority of Israel (CAAI)
    Italy ENAC - Ente Nazionale per l'Aviazione Civile - Airworthiness Directives Database
    Japan Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB)
    Lithuania Civilinės aviacijos administracija
    Netherlands Inspectie Leefomgeving en Transport
    New Zealand Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand (CAA NZ)
    Poland Civil Aviation Office
    Romania Romanian Civil Aeronautic Authority
    Serbia Civil Aviation Directorate of the Republic of Serbia
    Spain DGAC - Airworthiness Directives Page
    Sweden Luftfartsstyrelsen - Swedish Civil Aviation Authority
    Switzerland Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA)
    USA Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)

Commercial industry

Read all @UK_CAA

Commercial industry News

UK Civil Aviation Authority confirms regulatory approval for JetBlue 19 April, 2021

Major safety boost for offshore helicopters moves closer 25 March, 2021

Civil Aviation Authority Transport Act 2000 investigation – final decision 25 February, 2021

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Commercial industry Blogs

International Civil Aviation Day 7 December, 2020

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