Make a Whistleblowing report
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is a prescribed person under the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 and the Public Interest Disclosure (Prescribed Persons) Order. This means we can receive and assess protected disclosures about compliance with civil aviation legislation and matters within our regulatory remit. The purpose of whistleblowing legislation is to enable industry workers to raise concerns in the public interest without fear of detriment or retaliation.
Anyone may submit information to the CAA through this reporting channel. However, only relevant disclosures by a ‘worker’ can be considered a whistleblowing disclosure.
What Reports Are Considered Whistleblowing Reports?
The CAA's whistleblowing function is intended primarily for concerns that:
- Relate to aviation safety, aviation security, or compliance with aviation legislation.
- Raise matters that are in the public interest.
- Concern activities, organisations, or individuals operating within the CAA's regulatory remit.
Reports that do not relate to these matters may be redirected to a more appropriate reporting process.
Protected Disclosures:
Not every report will be considered a whistleblowing disclosure.
Submitting information through this channel does not automatically make a report a protected disclosure under whistleblowing legislation. The CAA will assess each report against the relevant legal and regulatory criteria.
To be protected under whistleblowing law, you must reasonably believe the information is in the public interest and shows that one or more of the following has happened, is happening, or is likely to happen:
- a criminal offence (including fraud or other financial wrongdoing);
- a breach of a legal obligation;
- a miscarriage of justice;
- a risk to health or safety;
- damage to the environment; or
- deliberate concealment of any of the above.
The whistleblowing process is not the correct route for:
- Passenger complaints
- Flight delays, cancellations, refunds or compensation claims
- Customer service issues
- Aircraft noise complaints
- Low-flying aircraft complaints
- Personal employment grievances
Confidentiality
We treat all information received confidentially. We will not disclose a whistleblower's identity without their consent unless required by law. Personal data is handled in line with our General Privacy Notice.
How to Submit a Whistleblowing Report:
Online (preferred):
Submit A Whistleblowing Report
By Email:
You can email your report to: whistleblowing@caa.co.uk
By Phone (voicemail only):
+44 330 138 2305
This is an automated service, we can not return calls.
Note: Contact details are often needed to enable further enquiries and support any subsequent investigation. Anonymous reports may be more difficult to investigate, so please provide as much information as possible.
Supporting Documents
You may send supporting evidence, photographs or documentation to whistleblowing@caa.co.uk.
Upon receipt of an online report, an acknowledgement email will be sent where an email address has been provided.
If your report requires further investigation, we may provide limited updates on whether the investigation remains ongoing. Once the investigation has concluded, we will confirm closure and provide feedback where possible.
We are unable to provide any further update regarding your report should the decision be made to not investigate your report further.
Before reporting to the CAA, you should raise your concerns with the relevant organisation using its internal complaints or whistleblowing procedure.
Doing so does not prevent the CAA from carrying out its regulatory responsibilities or assessing any report it receives.
Before submitting a report under this process, read how to report a public safety concern.
Protect (Formally Public Concern at Work)
If you're worried about malpractice, wrongdoing, or a safety risk at work and are unsure whether to report it to the CAA, you may find it helpful to seek guidance from the independent whistleblowing charity, Protect. They can advise you on the most appropriate way to raise your concern. For more information, visit Protect's website.