Story ID: 
UK Defers Action on Foreign-registered Aircraft
By: Gordon Gilbert
Caption: Britain’s Department for Transport (DfT) has decided not to act unilaterally to impose new restrictions on UK-based aircraft that are registered overseas.
Word Count: 163
Britain’s Department for Transport (DfT) has decided not to act unilaterally to impose new restrictions on UK-based aircraft that are registered overseas. In October 2005, the DfT completed a consultation on possible changes to the rules governing foreign-registered aircraft in the UK. The new rules would have limited the amount of time foreign-registered aircraft can be based in the UK to 90 days in any 12-month period. After 14 months of consideration it has effectively shelved plans to exercise greater control of these aircraft, with many industry observers predicting it will take a long time to reach European consensus on the issue. The DfT’s recanting its position on foreign registration appears to have been influenced by the UK CAA’s strategic review of general aviation, which helped government officials understand why so many UK-based aircraft are registered overseas. “People are finding it easier and cheaper to register their aircraft overseas, and the government certainly needs to look at this,” concluded a top CAA official.