4 January 2022
It’s been a flying start to the year for the Light Aircraft Association (LAA). After the turbulence caused by Covid and lockdowns, the LAA starts 2022 with membership numbers and the number of aircraft on LAA-overseen Permits to Fly back at 2019 pre-Covid levels.
The number of aircraft with active LAA Permits, a barometer of recreational aviation activity, was 2,831 at the end of 2021, marking a recovery from a fall from 2,785 in 2019 to 2,729 in 2020.
This number includes 81 aircraft which gained their first permit in 2021, up from 67 last year.
LAA membership levels, which dipped to a low of 7,683 during the lockdown period at the start of 2021, recovered to a spot total of 7,837 at the end of the year, again reverting to pre-Covid levels.
While the early year dip can be attributed to some older members electing to hang up their headsets, the recent increase was driven by record recruitment, with more than 650 new members joining the Association in 2021, compared with 500 recruits in 2020.
