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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.



This page provides guidance to applicants on the requirements for the issue of a temporary Permit to Fly for Part 21 aircraft.

Pre-requisites

UK Regulation (EU) No 748/2012 Subpart P allows for the issue of a Permit to Fly to a Part 21 aircraft when the Certificate of Airworthiness (CAA Form 25) or Restricted C of A (CAA Form 24) is temporarily invalid or when an aircraft is unable to comply with the regulations set for the issue of a C of A but is still capable of safe flight under defined conditions.

Who can apply?

  • Registered Aircraft Owners.
  • Maintenance Organisations.
  • Continuing Airworthiness Management Organisations (CAMOs).
  • Individuals authorised by the Aircraft Owner.

Please note: For Part 21 aircraft which only qualify for a permanent Permit to Fly, the application for a temporary Permit to Fly must be made by the Registered Aircraft Owner.

What else do I need to know?

Before a flight is made with a Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Part 21 Permit to Fly in force, a Certificate of Release to Service (CRS) must be issued in accordance with Part M M.A.801 or Part 21 21A.163. The CRS must contain sufficient information to be able to verify that all required maintenance has been accomplished, that the aircraft conforms to the approved flight conditions and that it is in a condition for safe operation.

Urgent operational need

The CAA Same Day Service may be applicable in cases of demonstrated urgent operational need and Grounded Aircraft. Please contact apply@caa.co.uk.

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How do I apply?

To apply, you will need to do the following:

If Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) approved design related flight conditions is required, complete and submit the relevant application Approval of flight conditions for Permits to Fly.

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What should I include with my application?

In all cases:

  • A completed online application for the issue of a Part 21 temporary Permit to Fly and/or non-design flight conditions.
    • Confirmation of the purpose of flight (in accordance with Part 21 21.A.701(a).
    • Details of the ways in which the aircraft does not comply with the applicable airworthiness requirements.

Along with a description of the issue, and in the case of overdue items, how much the item is overdue you will also need to send:

  • Details of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) approved organisation or authorised individual who is supporting the application if they are not the applicant.
  • Confirmation and details of the Certification type for the aircraft (for example, TCDS, SAS, AAN).
  • Details of the CAA Approved Maintenance Programme.
  • Confirmation of who (either organisation or individual) will be issuing the aircraft the Certificate of Release to Service (for Part 21 Permanent Permit aircraft - details of the individual holding the valid CAA Permit Maintenance Release Authorisation shall be required).
  • Details of any maintenance or actions to be carried out to ensure safe flight.
  • Departure and Destination location, with space to list any intermediate stops.
  • Target dates for flight.

In addition:

For the issue of a Part 21 temporary Permit to Fly with CAA (or Part 21J) approved design related Flight Conditions:

  • Copy of CAA (or Part 21G/J) approved Flight Conditions (CAA Form 18b or 18a).
  • Copy of any documentation referred to in CAA Form 18b or 18a.
  • relevant fee

If the application requires the approval of non-design related Flight Conditions:

  • Justification to demonstrate that the aircraft can perform the intended flight(s) safely under the defined conditions.

If you (the applicant) cannot confirm that 'The flight conditions have been established and justified in accordance with 21A.708. and the aircraft has no features and characteristics making it unsafe for the intended operation under the identified conditions and restrictions'.

You must supply a statement from a suitably approved individual confirming the above, along with the individual's name, Company name (if an Approved Organisation), approval reference or Part 66 license number (if applicable), date and a signature.

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How much does it cost?



The below information is guidance of the cost for different application types:

Application type Fee
Where a Part M subpart G, Part-CAMO, Part-CAO or Part-21 approved organisation, issues the permit to fly under the privileges of their approval and notifies the CAA accordingly. £32.00
Where the Part M subpart G, Part-CAMO, Part-CAO or Part-21 approved organisation, holding Permit to Fly privileges, requests CAA approval of non-design related flight conditions. £105.00
Where an application is made for the CAA to issue a Permit to Fly, enclosing UK CAA approved design-related Flight Conditions where applicable. £167.00
Where an application is made to the CAA for the approval of non-design related Flight Conditions and the issue of a Permit to Fly concurrently. £240.00

The Official Record Series 5, CAA Scheme of Charges provides more details. 

In the event of a discrepancy between the information here and the Scheme of Charges, the Scheme of Charges takes precedence.

Same day services

The same day service is on request, which should be made at the time of initial application. Documents are worked to a same day turnaround from receipt of customer request by 11:00 to completion of the processing of the application by 16:30 on the same working day.

This is subject to all information being submitted and all queries answered within this timeframe.

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What happens next?

Once a correctly completed application form and applicable fee are received, the application will be reviewed. The applicant may be requested to supply additional information if required.

Once the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) are satisfied that the aircraft is capable of safe flight under the defined conditions, the temporary Permit to Fly (and approved non-design related Flight conditions if appropriate) will be issued and forwarded to the applicant by email, with the first print of the documents deemed as the originals.

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How long will it take for my application to be processed?



The Service Standard for the issue of a temporary Permit to Fly (including approval of non-design related Flight Conditions) is 5 working days from receipt of a correctly completed application and appropriate fee.

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How long is it valid for?



The below information advises on how long the permit is valid for:

  • You will be required to supply a validity period while completing the application.
  • Temporary permits are usually issued for less than a month, but you should allow enough time for the flight to be conducted, taking into account weather conditions etc.
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