Bilateral arrangements and agreements survey 2023
The CAA, as an independent regulator, negotiates and enters into bilateral safety arrangements with other National Aviation Authorities (NAA).
The opinion and feedback of the UK aviation community is valuable to us and we want to better understand how you interact with third countries and international markets.
As end-users of the arrangements, we are looking for your feedback on the functioning of current arrangements and would like to explore the views of the UK industry for future engagements. Please complete our survey; Bilateral Arrangements and Agreements Survey 2023 (surveymonkey.co.uk)
Your input will be treated confidentially, and we will not disclose any individual responses.
Bilateral agreements
Bilateral agreements and arrangements allow the airworthiness certification of civil aeronautical products to be shared between two countries.
A Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreement (BASA), Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) or Working Arrangement (WA) and their associated implementing procedures provide for technical cooperation between national civil aviation authorities. They help reduce duplication of activity and aim for mutual acceptance of certificates.
In addition to airworthiness certification, BASAs, MoUs and WAs provide for bilateral cooperation across other areas of aviation, including maintenance, flight operations, and environmental certification.
For aircraft certification and maintenance, additional implementation procedures will cover specific issues such as design approval, production acceptance, export airworthiness approval, post-design approval activities, technical cooperation and maintenance.
International Cooperation - Important Information
Maintenance organisations with their principal place of business located outside the UK, for which the UK CAA has an existing bilateral agreement / arrangement with their Country or National Aviation Authority, please contact your own National Aviation Authority for guidance on applying for a UK Part 145 approval or participation in the arrangement.
UK component acceptability table
To properly control the acceptance of components fitted to UK registered/operated aircraft, engines or components which fall under the control of UK and partner countries Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreements or Working Arrangements, Guidance on acceptance of components provides an overview of which documentation is needed to be eligible for installation.
European Union
The trade and cooperation agreement between the EU and the UK addresses aviation safety at Article AIRTRN.18.
The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and EASA have concluded negotiations on the Technical Implementation Procedures (the TIP), which was signed at a ceremony on 17 May 2021.
Approvals covering design and production of civil aeronautical products
UK-EU Airworthiness and Environment Certification: Draft Design Certification
Existing design certificates status
The UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement recognises:
- type certificates,
- supplemental type certificates,
- approvals for changes and repairs, and
- technical standard order authorisations
issued by EASA or an EASA approved design organisation that were valid on 31 December 2020.
These are considered to be accepted by EASA and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) in accordance with ANNEX AVSAF-1 AIRWORTHINESS AND ENVIRONMENT CERTIFICATION, Article 15.
Design changes
The UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement states that minor changes and minor repairs approved by CAA or a CAA approved design organisation are accepted by EASA and vice versa.
Further details can be found in ANNEX AVSAF-1 AIRWORTHINESS AND ENVIRONMENT CERTIFICATION, Article 13
EASA approved design changes
The UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement states that:
- non-significant supplemental type certificates
- non-significant major changes
- repairs and technical standard order authorisations
Issued by EASA or an EASA approved design organisation will be accepted by CAA. Further clarification on classification will be provided in the CAA/EASA TIP.
Further details can be found in ANNEX AVSAF-1 AIRWORTHINESS AND ENVIRONMENT CERTIFICATION, Article 13.
CAA approved design changes
The UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement states that:
- type certificates
- supplemental type certificates
- approvals for major changes
- major repairs and technical standard order authorisations
Issued by CAA or by a CAA approved design organisation will not be directly accepted by EASA and will be subject to technical validation by EASA. In some cases, when agreed by CAA and EASA, a streamlined validation may be performed.
Further details can be found in ANNEX AVSAF-1 AIRWORTHINESS AND ENVIRONMENT CERTIFICATION, Article 10.
Technical validation of EASA approved design changes
The UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement states that:
- type certificates
- significant supplemental type certificates
- approvals for significant major changes
Will be subject to either technical validation or streamlined validation by CAA. Further clarification on classification and corresponding validation path will be provided in the CAA/EASA TIP.
Further details can be found in ANNEX AVSAF-1 AIRWORTHINESS AND ENVIRONMENT CERTIFICATION, Article 10.
UK-EU Airworthiness and Environment Certification: Production
EASA Production Organisation Approval (POA) (as Third Country Approval) for UK goods to be accepted in the EU
The UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) enables the EU to recognise the POA issued by the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) for categories of products that are already approved for production on 31 December 2020.
UK POA for EU goods to be accepted in the UK
The UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement enables the UK to recognise the POA issued by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) CAA for categories of products that are already approved for production on 31 December 2020.
Export to the EU
The UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement recognises the CAA Form-1 for the export of new parts, appliances, engines and propellers and CAA Form 52 for the export of new complete aircraft.
Therefore, there is no need for UK-based organisations to hold an EASA Third Country POA. Consequently, EASA has not issued any Third Country POA to organisations in the UK and as such, there are no EASA.UK.21G.XXXX approvals.
Export to the UK
In the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement the UK recognises the EASA Form 1 for the export of new parts, appliances, engines and propellers and EASA Form 52 for the export of new complete aircraft.
Therefore, there is no need for an EU based organisation to hold a UK POA.
Products, parts and appliances that are covered by the acceptance of the production system under the agreement between the EU and the UK
As per the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) between UK and EU, in particular Art 21 of ANNEX AVSAF-1, the production of all categories of civil aeronautical products that were produced on December 31, 2020 in the EU and the UK, respectively, are mutually accepted.
Annex AVSAF-1 further determines that these categories are to be defined in the related Technical Implementation Procedures (TIP).
Categories of product accepted from UK for export to EU
- Normal, Utility, Aerobatic, and Commuter Category Aeroplanes (EASA CS-23 or equivalent)
- Hot Air Balloons (EASA CS-31HB or equivalent)
- Free Gas Balloons (EASA CS-31GB or equivalent)
- Tethered Gas Balloons (EASA CS-31TGB or equivalent)
- Engines (EASA CS-E or equivalent)
- ETSO (EASA CS-ETSO or equivalent)
- Propellers (EASA CS-P or equivalent)
- Airships
- Parts and appliances for any category of product
Categories of product accepted from EU for export to UK
- Sailplanes and Powered Sailplanes (EASA CS-22 or equivalent)
- Normal, Utility, Aerobatic, and Commuter Category Aeroplanes (EASA CS-23 or equivalent)
- Light Sport Aeroplanes (EASA CS-23 or equivalent, former CS-LSA)
- Very Light Aeroplanes (EASA CS-23 or equivalent, former CS-VLA)
- Large Aeroplanes (EASA CS-25 or equivalent)
- Small Rotorcraft (EASA CS-27 or equivalent)
- Large Rotorcraft (EASA CS-29 or equivalent)
- Hot Air Balloons (EASA CS-31HB or equivalent)
- Free Gas Balloons (EASA CS-31GB or equivalent)
- Tethered Gas Balloons (EASA CS-31TGB or equivalent)
- Auxiliary Power Units (EASA CS APU or equivalent)
- Engines (EASA CS-E or equivalent)
- ETSO (EASA CS-ETSO or equivalent)
- Propellers (EASA CS-P or equivalent)
- Very Light Rotorcraft (EASA CS-VLR)
- Airships
- Parts and appliances for any category of product
Agreements to ensure continuity of arrangements with the European Union, USA, Canada, Japan, Brazil, Singapore, Switzerland, Iceland, China and Norway are in force:
European Union
- Technical Implementation Procedures (TIP)
- Working Arrangement on the design and production of Rolls-Royce Products
United States of America
- Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreement - Executive Agreement
- Implementation Procedures for Airworthiness
- Special Arrangement: Continuity of Aircraft Certification Projects - Revision 1
- Maintenance Implementation Procedures
- Maintenance Agreement Guidance
- FAA MIP Audit Report 2
- Repair Station Vital Information
- Simulator Implementation Procedures
Special Arrangement: Continuity of Aircraft Projects
The Special Arrangement enabled the continuity and simplified conclusion of design certification validation projects that had started with EASA and the FAA before the UK’s exit from the EU. Approximately 30 projects have benefitted from this process.
The Special Arrangement will end on 1 January 2023. From that date, the provisions of the Special Arrangement will no longer be available; validation projects must follow the processes set out in the Implementation Procedures for Airworthiness (IPA) established between the CAA and the FAA.
Applications for validation under the terms of the Special Arrangement must be submitted by 31 December 2022.
Canada
- Working Arrangement
- Further Working Arrangement
- Technical Implementation Procedures
- Technical Arrangement on Maintenance
Japan
Brazil
- Memorandum of Understanding
- Further Working Arrangement
- Technical Implementation Procedures
- Maintenance Annex Guidance
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