The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has today announced that following, agreement with the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA), pilots of UK-registered amateur-built aircraft, and other listed types flying to the Republic of Ireland, can now do so for up to 28 days through a general exemption. Previously pilots were required to make individual applications to the IAA, even for flights originating in Northern Ireland. The agreement comes into effect immediately and offers reciprocal arrangements for pilots of Irish registered aircraft.

Access is subject to compliance with a small number of conditions, such as the aircraft being registered and having a valid airworthiness certificate. Some non-ICAO compliant aircraft, such as ex-military aircraft types and gyroplanes, remain excluded from the agreement. Aircraft that do not qualify will continue to need to apply for an individual exemption as will aircraft seeking to stay beyond 28 days.

The CAA has also taken the opportunity to complete a wider review of the agreement which is detailed in Generic Concession No.6 (GC6, previously Airworthiness Notice 52), specifically the need to notify the CAA prior to making a trip via a web address with the aircraft details. This requirement has now been removed, further simplifying the process for pilots. Full details can be found on the Foreign Aircraft Exemptions page of the CAA website.

GC6 provides a general exemption for certain amateur built aircraft in line with the 1980 European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC) recommendation, which sought to establish free movement of amateur built aircraft across Europe. It addresses the policy for foreign (non-UK) registered non-ICAO compliant aircraft to access UK airspace and the document has been revised to include details of the new agreement.