Court Rules CAA Restrictions Apply to Northolt

摘要

A British High Court Judge has ruled that the safety of all civilian aircraft using government-owned military aerodromes is the responsibility of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). The ruling comes after Biggin Hill Airport and London Oxford Airport lodged an application for a judicial review into the use of RAF Northolt for business aviation flights, claiming the West London aerodrome did not meet civil safety standards. The judgment, handed down by the Hon Mr Justice Popplewell on January 23, dismissed the judicial review application in its entirety because of a technicality. However, the judge ruled that the CAA is responsible for the safety of all civilian flights using RAF Northolt and other military aerodromes in the United Kingdom and not the Military Aviation Authority (MAA) as was believed to be the case. The trigger for the proceedings came in April 2012 when the MoD lifted the self-imposed limit on commercial flights at Northolt from 7,000 to 12,000 movements per year.