An aircraft registration is a code unique to a single aircraft, required by international convention to be marked on the exterior of every civil aircraft. The registration indicates the aircraft's country of registration, and functions much like an automobile license plate or a ship registration. This code must also appear in its Certificate of Registration, issued by the relevant civil aviation authority (CAA). An aircraft can only have one registration, in one jurisdiction, though it is changeable over the life of the aircraft.
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Civil aviation authority in the context of Civil Aviation Authority (United Kingdom)
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is the statutory corporation which oversees and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the United Kingdom. Its areas of responsibility include:
- Supervising the issuing of pilots and aircraft engineers licences, testing of equipment, calibrating of navaids, and many other inspections (Civil Aviation Flying Unit).
- Managing the regulation of security standards, including vetting of all personnel in the aviation industry (Directorate of Aviation Security).
- Overseeing the national protection scheme for customers abroad in the event of a travel company failure (Air Travel Organisers' Licensing – ATOL).
- Licensing of spaceflight activities in the UK. This includes: Launch, Range Control, Orbital Operators, and Spaceport licence issuing (Space Industry Act 2018).
The CAA is a public corporation of the Department for Transport, liaising with the government via the Standards Group of the Cabinet Office.
Civil aviation authority in the context of Air operator's certificate
An air operator's certificate (AOC) is the approval granted by a civil aviation authority (CAA) to an aircraft operator to allow it to use aircraft for commercial air transport purposes. This requires the operator to have personnel, assets and systems in place to ensure the safety of its employees and of the flying public. The certificate lists the approved aircraft types, each registration number approved to fly, the approved flying purpose, and in what area the holder may operate (such as specific airports or geographic region).
Civil aviation authority in the context of Transportation authority
A transportation authority, transportation agency, or transportation department is a government agency that regulates, manages, or administers transportation-related matters, such as roads, transportation infrastructure, traffic management, or traffic code.
Transportation authorities go by a number of names, such as "department of transportation" or "ministry of transport", among others. They often manage other government agencies that oversee specific fields of transportation, such as civil aviation authorities, highway authorities, logistics regulators, rail transport regulators, maritime transport regulators, and transportation safety boards.