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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.



Wake turbulence separation minima are based on a grouping of aircraft types into categories, according to their maximum certificated take-off mass (MCTOM).

The United Kingdom conforms, in general, to the ICAO standards on wake turbulence. However, experience at those UK aerodromes where an air traffic control service is provided and wake turbulence separation minima are applied, has shown that certain modifications to the relationship between the MCTOM of an aircraft and the wake turbulence separation are advisable for the safety of operations.

The UK wake turbulence categories are detailed within Appendix B to the MATS Part 1 (CAP 493) and AIC Pink 'Wake Turbulence'. These wake turbulence categories are used in the application of wake turbulence separation minima as detailed within Section 1 Chapter 3 of the MATS Part 1 (CAP 493).

We have developed a database that includes those aircraft types most commonly provided with air traffic services in the UK, their MCTOM, and their ICAO and UK wake turbulence categories.

Amendments to this database will notified by a SkyWise alert to the air traffic control category.

Download the database