Abbreviation | CAA |
---|---|
Formation | 1972 |
Legal status | Statutory corporation |
Purpose | Aviation regulator |
Location |
|
Region served
|
United Kingdom |
Chief Executive
|
Andrew Haines |
Parent organization
|
Department for Transport |
Website | www |
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is the statutory corporation which oversees and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the United Kingdom. The CAA head office is located in the CAA House on Kingsway in Holborn, London. The CAA Safety Regulation Group is in the Aviation House in Gatwick Airport in Crawley, England. The CAA is a public corporation of the Department for Transport.
From 1 April 2014, the CAA took over a number of aviation security functions from the Department for Transport. The new Directorate of Aviation Security within the CAA now manages rule-making and compliance to deliver proportionate and focussed regulation for UK aviation to ensure the highest standards of security across the civil aviation sector. The CAA also manages all national security vetting for the aviation industry.
Air Safety Support International, a subsidiary of the CAA, is responsible for air safety in the British Overseas Territories.
The CAA directly or indirectly regulates all aspects of aviation in the UK. In some aspects of aviation it is the primary regulator, in other areas, where the responsibility for regulation has passed to the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), the CAA acts as EASA's local office, implementing the regulations. Representatives from the CAA sit on EASA's advisory bodies, taking part in the Europe-wide regulation process.
The UK Government requires that the CAA’s costs are met entirely from its charges on those whom it regulates. Unlike many other countries, there is no direct Government funding of the CAA’s work. It is classed as a public corporation, established by statute, in the public sector. The connection it has with the government is via the Machinery of Government and Standards Group of the Cabinet Office.