15 May 2012
The CAA has confirmed the enforcement policy that will be in place to deal with infringements of this summer’s Olympics security airspace restrictions.
The existing CAA policy of not generally pursuing a prosecution in cases when an airspace infringement is inadvertent, and the pilot has taken all reasonable steps to resolve the situation safely, will remain. However, as infringements of the security airspace are likely to have a significant impact on other airspace users, the licences of all pilots infringing either the Restricted or Prohibited Zone will be suspended pending an investigation of the incident.
The decision affects the Restricted Zone (marked on charts as R112), the Prohibited Zone (P111) and the smaller Paralympics’ Prohibited Zone (P114). The policy to suspend licences will not apply to the airspace restrictions covering the sailing events at Weymouth or other Olympics restrictions.
Phil Roberts, Assistant Director of Airspace Policy at the CAA, said, “The UK’s GA representative associations have been doing excellent work to help us brief their members and we now believe that the vast majority of pilots are well aware of the restrictions and will aim to abide by them. However, we also know that infringements do occur and it is right that pilots know in advance what action the CAA will be taking.”
All infringements of the Restricted or Prohibited Zones will be reported to the CAA by the Atlas Control military air traffic control unit controlling the Restricted Zone. Serious infringements that the security services deem as being a potential security threat are also likely to be intercepted by the UK military in the air and met on landing.
The suspension may be lifted if the infringement is revealed to be inadvertent in a CAA investigation. Pilots not already in contact with Atlas Control or another ATC agency who believe they may have infringed the Olympics Restricted or Prohibited airspace should immediately contact the Distress and Diversion Cell on 121.5MHz. The controller will then ascertain their exact position and safely deal with the situation.
Any pilots found to have deliberately infringed the security restrictions will be prosecuted under Article 161 of the Air Navigation Order. Their licence will also remain suspended until the CAA’s investigation is complete.
Full details of the airspace changes being put in place for the London 2012 Olympics can be found at <a href=’http://www.airspacesafety.com/olympics’ target=’_blank’>www.airspacesafety.com/olympics</a>
