Aviation: FAQs for 2021

This paper has been written specifically for Members of Parliament and their staff, though others may find it of general interest. It is a compilation of regularly asked questions about aviation issues. There is no intended link between articles other than that the topics are often the subject of requests by Members, usually on behalf of their constituents.

The FAQs cover the following issues:

• Aviation: general
  • Who is responsible for aviation-related policy?  
  • We have now left the EU, what has changed?    
  • I’m a UK-licensed pilot – can I work for an EU airline?      
• COVID-19
  • How has COVID-19 affected the aviation industry?
• Passenger rights             
  • How can you complain about a flight or treatment at an airport?
  • What are the rights of passengers with disabilities when travelling by air? 
  • How can you get compensation for a delayed or cancelled flight?             
  • How are air passengers protected if an airline goes into administration?
• Airports and aircrafts    

• Who investigates when there is an air accident?
• Who can help if someone is affected by noise or nuisance from aircraft?             
• How can I get involved with a local airport’s plans to change its flightpaths?      
• Will Heathrow’s third runway be built?  
• What is the Government doing to regulate drones?       

Further details on these issues and more can be found in a suite of Commons Library briefing papers, available on our website.