The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has outlined its charging proposals for air operator certification certificates and vertiport applications and licensing certificates. According to these proposals, it will cost UKP4,332 in vertiport licensing certification for a vertiport operator to manage Archer Midnight (with a maximum take off weight of 3175 kg) flights in contrast to UKP2964 for a SkyDrive SD-05 (MTOW of 1,100 kilograms).
According to the CAA:
“Over the next 12 months the CAA expects to receive our first eVTOL operator application. This will be an important moment for UK Aviation, following the culmination of several years of collaboration between the CAA and innovators in the aerospace sector. The CAA will ensure the highest standards of safety oversight for this new technology as it is introduced to the public, with a robust regulatory approach helping to build consumer confidence. Whilst there remains uncertainty over how this market will evolve, we have been working to prepare ourselves for this moment and have trained personnel ready to provide the necessary oversight and support for nascent operators.
“We are proposing to introduce charges in the Air Operator Certification scheme for these operators at the equivalent rate chargeable to operators of fixed-wing aircraft not above 5,700kg. This will cover initial application, variation and annual oversight charges. Likewise, we are expecting our first applications for the operators of Vertiports which will provide critical infrastructure for eVTOL operators. We expect most applications to arise from existing aerodromes seeking to extend their approvals, however we also expect some novel applications as this technology is adopted. To ensure we can recover the cost of our work we will treat applications from Vertiports in the same way as for Licenced Aerodromes and will charge customers accordingly under that scheme. As this is a new area of responsibility for the CAA, we will monitor whether this charging level is appropriate to facilitate cost recovery and will consult on changes in the future where necessary.
VTOL aircraft operating onshore or offshore
The applicable charges will be shown as follows for eVTOL aircraft operating onshore or offshore:
3.1 Grant of an AOC or PAOC:
- Heaviest type, £12,488
- Additional type, £2,453
- Excess hourly rate of £223 / hour
3.2 Charge on application for variation of an AOC or PAOC:
- Additional aircraft types, £7,136
- New region/substantive region or route, £2,007
- Temporary region or route, £669
- Excess hourly rate of £223 / hour
4.1 Annual charges:
Target charge per operator:
- 0-4 aircraft, £15,866
- 5 or more aircraft, £22,630
Target charge per aircraft:
- 0-4 aircraft, £962
- 5 or more aircraft, £962
For aerodrome/vertiport development project approval: “Subject to paragraph 3.4.2, when an application is made to obtain approval from the CAA of any major development project at an aerodrome/vertiport which requires the approval of the CAA under the aerodrome/vertiport licence or certificate, the applicant shall pay the CAA a charge of £1,368. If the time taken to process the application for approval exceeds 6 hours then the applicant shall pay the CAA a charge (to be invoiced in arrears) on the basis of an hourly rate of £228 for each hour in excess of 6 hours which it takes the CAA to process the application prior to the approval being granted.
“The holder of an aerodrome/vertiport licence or certificate, on the last day of each month during which the licence or certificate remains in force, shall pay the CAA a charge of 1.74 pence for each Work Load Unit at the aerodrome during that month. The calculation of the chargeable Work Load Units at each aerodrome will be established by the application of the monthly arriving and departing passengers and cargo statistics provided by aerodromes/vertiports to Aviation Intelligence, CAA.
“The CAA may require an aerodrome/vertiport licence or certificate holder to pay a deposit on the last day of each month in respect of which a charge under this paragraph is payable. The deposit is calculated as the amount that would be payable for the month if the aerodrome/vertiport licence or certificate holder had worked the same number of Work Load Units as operated in the corresponding month of the previous year. “
For more information
https://www.caa.co.uk/publication/download/23362
(Image: Joby/NASA)
