§ Mr. SheermanTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action he is taking to ensure that all aircraft granted approval for(a) wet and (b) dry leasing by United Kingdom operators are maintained to required International Civil Aviation Organisation standards. [16297]
§ Mr. NorrisThe leasing of aircraft by EC airlines is governed by EC Council regulation (EC) No. 1407/92. Under article 10 of this regulation, an airline licensed by a member state has to obtain the approval of its own licensing authority in order to operate a foreign registered aircraft. For the purposes of this regulation, the Civil Aviation Authority is required to approve any application by United Kingdom operators to lease foreign aircraft.
Before granting approval to UK airlines for both dry leases—the lease of an aircraft without crew—and wet leases—the lease of an aircraft with crew—the CAA is required to satisfy itself that the aircraft will be operated to acceptable safety standards equivalent to UK national standards.
For short-term wet leases, it has been agreed that, provided the foreign aircraft is registered in a state that is a signatory to the Chicago convention, prior approval is not required. This is to meet the operational requirements of UK operators where, due to unforseen circumstances, they might be unable to use their own aircraft at short notice.