8 April 2026
The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has appointed Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association UK (AOPA UK) to deliver its Airspace Infringement Awareness Course (AIAC), following the closure of General Aviation Safety Council (GASCo).
AOPA UK will take over from April 2026, maintaining a scheme introduced in 2017 as part of the CAA’s push towards “education-led” enforcement of airspace infringements.
The regulator says the course reflects feedback from the GA community that education is more effective than punishment. It also made clear that, with GASCo stepping away, continuity of the course was a priority.
The half-day AIAC is aimed at pilots who infringe controlled or notified airspace. It focuses on understanding how the infringement happened and how to avoid repeating it. Attendance is one of several possible outcomes under CAP1404, the CAA’s infringement review process.
AOPA says little will change in practice. The same course structure and people remain in place, including former GASCo administrator Penny Gould, and pricing is unchanged aside from VAT. The association also emphasised that it has no role in deciding who attends — that remains entirely with the CAA.
Instead, AOPA’s role is essentially to keep the course running without it reverting to direct CAA delivery. Like GASCo before it, the course is expected to operate on a cost-neutral basis.
AOPA says it supports the CAA’s “just culture” approach — though, as ever, the definition of that still sits firmly with the regulator.
For more information, visit the CAA Airspace & Safety Initiative website.
