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. 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. 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.
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 Those Service Bulletins remain mandatory unless cancelled and/or superseded by a new AD.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 UK Regulation (EU) No. 2018/1139 are available for download from the website before they are published in CAA publication CAP 747.
Before 1 January 2021, these Mandatory Requirements were removed from the website after they were incorporated in CAP 747. However, in order to provide a single place where all ADs issued by the CAA since 1 January 2021 can be found, these ADs will now remain available on the website after they have been incorporated in CAP 747.
To receive automatic notification of ADs placed on the CAA AD website you will need to register for our free publications subscription service. Choose the 'Safety Critical Information' category and select ‘New User Subscription Registration’
From 1 January 2021, CAP 747 now also includes (in Section 2 Part 2), State of Design Airworthiness Directives not Adopted by the CAA. These ADs are listed on the CAA website:
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
To receive Notification of EADs you will need to register for our free publications subscription service. Choose the 'Safety Critical Information' category and select 'New User Subscription Registration'. 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.
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.
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