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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 following information supersedes the current Official record series 4 no.909 Exemption E 3363, which sits within General Concession 6 permission within CAP 747 pending such time that it can be updated and published in 2018.

Official Record Series 4 numbers 910 and 911 containing Exemptions E3364 and E3365 respectively remain valid.

Further to recommendations by the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC), the CAA now allows two categories of aircraft registered in another ECAC member state access to UK airspace only in respect of over-flight and short-term visits, without the need to apply for individual exemptions:

  • Home-built aircraft: holding a (non-ICAO compliant) Permit to Fly or equivalent document issued by another ECAC State to fly in their country without any restrictions other than those stated on the Permit to Fly or equivalent document. This was further to an ECAC recommendation in 1980;

    and
  • Certain historic aircraft types: further to a more recent ECAC recommendation in 2016, aircraft types with the following characteristics:
    • non-military in origin: the aircraft type was not designed and operated solely for military purposes, though civil-designed aircraft that were operated by the military would be allowed; and,
    • as such the type previously held an ICAO-compliant Certificate of Airworthiness and now operates under a Permit to Fly or equivalent issued by an ECAC member state; and
    • its initial design was established before 1 January 1955 and production has ceased before 1 January 1975; and
    • the type has a Maximum Take-Off Mass not exceeding 5,700kg; and
    • it is operated on a non-commercial basis.

The CAA has now revoked ORS4 no.909 containing Exemption E3363. This is superseded with Exemption ORS4 no.1249 containing exemption E4602. This exempts both relevant aircraft categories from compliance with the provisions of the Air Navigation Order 2016 Article 33 relating to the need to hold Certificates of Airworthiness allowing rite of passage.

The intent of this Exemption is to facilitate overflight or short-term visits and allow a maximum period of 28 consecutive days for the intended stay, unless otherwise agreed by the CAA as an individual exemption.

Please note that the current aircraft that do not qualify to take advantage of this Exemption, an individual exemption will be required.