Airport policing in the United Kingdom
Encyclopedia
Airport policing in the United Kingdom has taken many forms since the rise of scheduled airline
services in the post-war period. Policing at major civilian airports was responsibility of the specialist constabularies operated by three central government departments until 1974, when the rise in international terrorism saw armed police from the territorial police force
s deployed to major airports under the provisions of the Policing of Airports Act. As more minor airports grew in size, they too switched to armed police provided by local police forces. However, the funding agreements for the provision of such services varied wildly from airport to airport, leading to disagreements between airport operators and chief constable
s. A new regime, the Airport Security Planning Framework, came into force in January 2010, and brought airport operators, airlines and police forces together to develop joint security and policing plans for all passenger airports.
, which was mainly concerned with the operation of the Royal Air Force
, but was also responsible for non-military aviation. During this time, airfields and aerodromes were policed by the Air Ministry Constabulary, who were sworn in as special constable
s under section 3 of the Special Constables Act 1923. In 1946, F. J. May OBE was appointed as the first Chief Constable
, and Squadron Leader
D. F. Grierson MBE
was appointed as Deputy Chief Constable
.
, the rise in civil aviation
saw the creation of the Ministry of Civil Aviation in 1946, and Heathrow airport was brought under the Ministry's control that year. The Ministry of Civil Aviation Constabulary was formed in 1948, and its first Chief Constable (appointed that year) was Sir John Bennett, a former Inspector-General of Police
for the province of Punjab, India
. Bennett died in June 1949, and was replaced by W. Ronnie who had been Deputy Chief Constable under Bennett, prior to which he was the Chief Constable of Breconshire Constabulary, and a member of Buckinghamshire Constabulary
from 1927 to 1947. Members of the Civil Aviation Constabulary were sworn in as special constables under section 37 of the Civil Aviation Act 1949.
, London Gatwick
and London Stansted
airports. The change of administration was seen as an opportunity to partially reform old working methods, and then-novel innovations were introduced, such as report forms with tick-boxes, an index card
system and dictation machine
s for detectives. In December of that year, the strength of the force stood at 201. In 1969 the Chief Constable, Major W. Ronnie, was awarded the Queen's Police Medal
. BAA took on Edinburgh Airport
in 1971, and Aberdeen Airport
and Glasgow International Airport
in 1975. By mid-1970, the strength stood at 326, of which 28 were women.
BAAC constables were sworn in under section 10 of the Airport Authority Act 1965. They were attested
before a justice of the peace
(or a sheriff in Scotland), and had "the powers and privileges and [were] liable to the duties and responsibilities of a constable" on all the aerodromes owned or managed by BAA. They also enjoyed their powers when following (pursuing) a person from such an aerodrome, if they could have arrested them on the aerodrome. BAA had the power to sack or suspend constables, and were vicariously liable
for their actions. In April 1971, RM Carson was appointed as Chief Constable of the BAAC.
, who established Liverpool Airport Police in that year. Separate police forces were also maintained for Manchester Airport (Manchester Airport Police
) from 1954 to 1976, Birmingham Airport (Birmingham Airport Police
) from 1970 to 1976 and Glasgow International Airport
from 1969 to 1975. Belfast International Airport
have operated a separate police force, Belfast International Airport Constabulary
, since 1971, which still exists today.
Members of all the police forces had full police powers whilst on the airport (in the case of Birmingham Airport Police, their powers extended when in pursuit of a person from the airport as with BAAC).
Liverpool Airport Police were effectively disbanded in 1974, when political change at the City Council saw Liverpool Parks Police
merged with the airport police into a civilian "Liverpool City Security Force".
Police forces were also maintained by Teeside Airport, Aberdeen Airport
(pre-BAAC), East Midlands Airport, Luton Airport and Southend-on-Sea Airport.
As a response, the government introduced the Policing of Airports Act 1974, which gave them the power to "designate" airports for the purposes of policing. Designation of a particular airport caused policing at that airport to become the responsibility of the local territorial police force
for the airport (who could deploy armed officers), and the airport operator reimbursed the police force accordingly.
The designated airports were those owned by BAA at the time (Heathrow,Policing of Airports (Heathrow) Order 1974 (SI 1974/1671) Stanstead,Policing of Airports (Stansted) Order 1975 (SI 1975/168) Gatwick,Policing of Airports (Gatwick) Order 1975 (SI 1975/375) Aberdeen,Policing of Airports (Aberdeen) Order 1975 (SI 1975/1769) Edinburgh,Policing of Airports (Edinburgh) Order 1975 (SI 1975/447) Glasgow (International)Policing of Airports (Glasgow) Order 1975 (SI 1975/443) and (Glasgow) PrestwickPolicing of Airports (Prestwick) Order 1975 (SI 1975/445)) and BirminghamPolicing of Airports (Birmingham) Order 1976 (SI 1976/590) and ManchesterPolicing of Airports (Manchester) Order 1976 (SI 1976/1045) airports, then under the control of their respective local authorities. Consequently, the BAACPolicing of Airports (Gatwick) (First Supplementary) Order 1975 (SI 1975/376), Policing of Airports (Heathrow) (First Supplementary) Order 1974 (SI 1974/1672), Policing of Airports (Stansted) (First Supplementary) Order 1975 (SI 1975/169), Policing of Airports (Prestwick) (First Supplementary) Order 1975 (SI 1975/446), Policing of Airports (Edinburgh) (First Supplementary) Order 1975 (SI 1975/448) and the Glasgow,Policing of Airports (Glasgow) (First Supplementary) Order 1975 (SI 1975/444) BirminghamPolicing of Airports (Birmingham) (First Supplementary) Order 1976 (SI 1976/591) and Manchester Policing of Airports (Manchester) (First Supplementary) Order 1976 (SI 1976/1046) airport police forces were disbanded and its members absorbed within the ranks of the respective territorial police forces.
Although the designation system allowed territorial police forces to recover the additional costs of providing extra police officers for airports in their police area
, it had some limitations. There was no effective means of arbitration
between an airport operator and the police force - the Secretary of State for Transport
could "determine" what the payment would be, but could not adjudicate on what level of service should be provided. At Luton Airport, which was not designated, Bedfordshire Police
provided armed police under their statutory duty to provide "effective and efficient policing", but the airport operator refused to pay for the service.
and the Home Office
to carry out a review of airport policing. His report recommended that partnership working be enhanced and that the system of "designations" be discontinued. The Policing and Crime Act 2009
introduced a new statutory framework, the Airport Security Planning Framework, which applies to airports designated by direction of the Department of Transport Transport Security and Contingencies Directorate (see below). Under this framework, two groups are established at each airport: a Risk Advisory Group and a Security Executive Group. The Risk Advisory Group assess the security risks to the airport and issues Risk Reports. The Risk Reports feed into the Security Executive Group, who draw up an Aerodrome Security Plan (ASP). The ASP covers the measures in place at the airport, who is responsible for the measures and how those measures will be monitored.
If the ASP includes the provision of police services, then a Police Services Agreement (PSA) is also made. A PSA includes the level of policing that will be provided, how it will be paid for, and what facilities will be provided by the airport operator to the police force. PSAs do not cover responses to emergencies (both day-to-day emergencies and those covered by the Civil Contingencies Act 2004
), extra police provision for hijack designated airports, border control work or protection against man-portable air-defense systems. The new Framework also includes expanded powers of dispute resolution for the Secretary of State for Transport, and provides for recourse to judicial review by the High Court
.
The designation orders, and the Acts listed below marked *, are only publicly available at the Parliamentary Archives
.
Airline
An airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...
services in the post-war period. Policing at major civilian airports was responsibility of the specialist constabularies operated by three central government departments until 1974, when the rise in international terrorism saw armed police from the territorial police force
Territorial police force
The phrase Territorial Police Force varies in precise meaning according to the country to which it is related, generally distinguishing a force whose area of responsibility is defined by sub-national boundaries from others which deal with the entire country or a restricted range of...
s deployed to major airports under the provisions of the Policing of Airports Act. As more minor airports grew in size, they too switched to armed police provided by local police forces. However, the funding agreements for the provision of such services varied wildly from airport to airport, leading to disagreements between airport operators and chief constable
Chief Constable
Chief constable is the rank used by the chief police officer of every territorial police force in the United Kingdom except for the City of London Police and the Metropolitan Police, as well as the chief officers of the three 'special' national police forces, the British Transport Police, Ministry...
s. A new regime, the Airport Security Planning Framework, came into force in January 2010, and brought airport operators, airlines and police forces together to develop joint security and policing plans for all passenger airports.
Air Ministry Constabulary
Civilian airports in the United Kingdom were originally under the control of the Air MinistryAir Ministry
The Air Ministry was a department of the British Government with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964...
, which was mainly concerned with the operation of the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
, but was also responsible for non-military aviation. During this time, airfields and aerodromes were policed by the Air Ministry Constabulary, who were sworn in as special constable
Special constable
A Special Constable is a law enforcement officer who is not a regular member of a police force. Some like the Royal Canadian Mounted Police carry the same law enforcement powers as regular members, but are employed in specific roles, such as explosive disposal technicians, court security, campus...
s under section 3 of the Special Constables Act 1923. In 1946, F. J. May OBE was appointed as the first Chief Constable
Chief Constable
Chief constable is the rank used by the chief police officer of every territorial police force in the United Kingdom except for the City of London Police and the Metropolitan Police, as well as the chief officers of the three 'special' national police forces, the British Transport Police, Ministry...
, and Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries which have a non-English air force-specific rank structure. In these...
D. F. Grierson MBE
MBE
MBE can stand for:* Mail Boxes Etc.* Management by exception* Master of Bioethics* Master of Bioscience Enterprise* Master of Business Engineering* Master of Business Economics* Mean Biased Error...
was appointed as Deputy Chief Constable
Deputy Chief Constable
Deputy chief constable is the second highest rank in all territorial police forces in the United Kingdom , as well as the British Transport Police, Ministry of Defence Police and Civil Nuclear...
.
Ministry of Civil Aviation Constabulary
After World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the rise in civil aviation
Civil aviation
Civil aviation is one of two major categories of flying, representing all non-military aviation, both private and commercial. Most of the countries in the world are members of the International Civil Aviation Organization and work together to establish common standards and recommended practices...
saw the creation of the Ministry of Civil Aviation in 1946, and Heathrow airport was brought under the Ministry's control that year. The Ministry of Civil Aviation Constabulary was formed in 1948, and its first Chief Constable (appointed that year) was Sir John Bennett, a former Inspector-General of Police
Inspector-General of Police
An inspector-general of police is a high-ranking police officer.-Ghana:In Ghana, inspector general of police is the title of the head of the Ghana Police Service.-India:...
for the province of Punjab, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Bennett died in June 1949, and was replaced by W. Ronnie who had been Deputy Chief Constable under Bennett, prior to which he was the Chief Constable of Breconshire Constabulary, and a member of Buckinghamshire Constabulary
Buckinghamshire Constabulary
Buckinghamshire Constabulary was the Home Office police force for the county of Buckinghamshire, England, until 1968.Buckinghamshire Constabulary was established in 1857. It later absorbed Buckingham Borough Police and Chepping Wycombe Borough Police...
from 1927 to 1947. Members of the Civil Aviation Constabulary were sworn in as special constables under section 37 of the Civil Aviation Act 1949.
British Airports Authority Constabulary
The British Airports Authority was established in 1965 by the Airport Authority Act 1965, and on 1 April 1966 the new British Airports Authority Constabulary took on responsibility for operating London HeathrowLondon Heathrow Airport
London Heathrow Airport or Heathrow , in the London Borough of Hillingdon, is the busiest airport in the United Kingdom and the third busiest airport in the world in terms of total passenger traffic, handling more international passengers than any other airport around the globe...
, London Gatwick
London Gatwick Airport
Gatwick Airport is located 3.1 miles north of the centre of Crawley, West Sussex, and south of Central London. Previously known as London Gatwick,In 2010, the name changed from London Gatwick Airport to Gatwick Airport...
and London Stansted
London Stansted Airport
-Cargo:-Statistics:-Infrastructure:-Terminal and satellite buildings:Stansted is the newest passenger airport of all the main London airports. The terminal is an oblong glass building, and is separated in to three areas: Check-in concourse, arrivals and departures...
airports. The change of administration was seen as an opportunity to partially reform old working methods, and then-novel innovations were introduced, such as report forms with tick-boxes, an index card
Index card
An index card consists of heavy paper stock cut to a standard size, used for recording and storing small amounts of discrete data. It was invented by Carl Linnaeus, around 1760....
system and dictation machine
Dictation machine
A dictation machine is a sound recording device most commonly used to record speech for later playback or to be typed into print. It includes digital voice recorders and tape recorders....
s for detectives. In December of that year, the strength of the force stood at 201. In 1969 the Chief Constable, Major W. Ronnie, was awarded the Queen's Police Medal
Queen's Police Medal
The Queen's Police Medal is awarded to police officers in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth for gallantry or distinguished service. Recipients may use the post-nominal letters "QPM", although the right to use these was only granted officially on 20 July 1969...
. BAA took on Edinburgh Airport
Edinburgh Airport
Edinburgh Airport is located at Turnhouse in the City of Edinburgh, Scotland, and was the busiest airport in Scotland in 2010, handling just under 8.6 million passengers in that year. It was also the sixth busiest airport in the UK by passengers and the fifth busiest by aircraft movements...
in 1971, and Aberdeen Airport
Aberdeen Airport
Aberdeen Airport is an international airport, located at Dyce, a suburb of Aberdeen, Scotland, approximately northwest of Aberdeen city centre. 2.76 million passengers used Aberdeen Airport in 2010, a reduction of 7.4% compared with 2009, making it the 15th busiest airport in the UK...
and Glasgow International Airport
Glasgow International Airport
Glasgow International Airport is an international airport in Scotland, located west of Glasgow city centre, near the towns of Paisley and Renfrew in Renfrewshire...
in 1975. By mid-1970, the strength stood at 326, of which 28 were women.
BAAC constables were sworn in under section 10 of the Airport Authority Act 1965. They were attested
Police Oath
It is usual for Police officers take an oath to uphold the law. The following is a selection from different countries.- Hong Kong :English version according to Chapter 232, schedule 1, Laws of Hong KongI, .. ....
before a justice of the peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
(or a sheriff in Scotland), and had "the powers and privileges and [were] liable to the duties and responsibilities of a constable" on all the aerodromes owned or managed by BAA. They also enjoyed their powers when following (pursuing) a person from such an aerodrome, if they could have arrested them on the aerodrome. BAA had the power to sack or suspend constables, and were vicariously liable
Vicarious liability in English law
Vicarious liability in English law is a doctrine of English tort law that imposes strict liability on employers for the wrongdoings of their employees. Generally, an employer will be held liable for any tort committed while an employee is conducting their duties...
for their actions. In April 1971, RM Carson was appointed as Chief Constable of the BAAC.
Municipal airport police forces
However, not all major airports were under the control of BAA. In 1961, control over Liverpool Airport had passed from the Ministry of Civil Aviation to Liverpool City CouncilLiverpool City Council
Liverpool City Council is the governing body for the city of Liverpool in Merseyside, England. It consists of 90 councillors, three for each of the city's 30 wards. The council is currently controlled by the Labour Party and is led by Joe Anderson.-Domain:...
, who established Liverpool Airport Police in that year. Separate police forces were also maintained for Manchester Airport (Manchester Airport Police
Manchester Airport Police
Manchester Airport Police is a defunct police force of the United Kingdom, formerly responsible for policing Manchester Airport, in Manchester, England.-Basis:...
) from 1954 to 1976, Birmingham Airport (Birmingham Airport Police
Birmingham Airport Police
Birmingham Airport Police is a defunct police force of the United Kingdom, formerly responsible for policing Birmingham International Airport, in Birmingham, England.-Basis:...
) from 1970 to 1976 and Glasgow International Airport
Glasgow International Airport
Glasgow International Airport is an international airport in Scotland, located west of Glasgow city centre, near the towns of Paisley and Renfrew in Renfrewshire...
from 1969 to 1975. Belfast International Airport
Belfast International Airport
Belfast International Airport is a major airport located northwest of Belfast in Northern Ireland. It was formerly known and is still referred to as Aldergrove Airport, after the village of the same name lying immediately to the west of the airport. Belfast International shares its runways with...
have operated a separate police force, Belfast International Airport Constabulary
Belfast International Airport Constabulary
The Belfast International Airport Constabulary is a small, specialised police force responsible for policing Belfast International Airport, Northern Ireland....
, since 1971, which still exists today.
Members of all the police forces had full police powers whilst on the airport (in the case of Birmingham Airport Police, their powers extended when in pursuit of a person from the airport as with BAAC).
Liverpool Airport Police were effectively disbanded in 1974, when political change at the City Council saw Liverpool Parks Police
Liverpool Parks Police
Liverpool Parks Police was a police force maintained by the Corporation of Liverpool to police the parks and open spaces owned by the City. The first record of "park constables" in Liverpool is from 1832, although members of the force were not sworn in as constables in their own right until 1882...
merged with the airport police into a civilian "Liverpool City Security Force".
Police forces were also maintained by Teeside Airport, Aberdeen Airport
Aberdeen Airport
Aberdeen Airport is an international airport, located at Dyce, a suburb of Aberdeen, Scotland, approximately northwest of Aberdeen city centre. 2.76 million passengers used Aberdeen Airport in 2010, a reduction of 7.4% compared with 2009, making it the 15th busiest airport in the UK...
(pre-BAAC), East Midlands Airport, Luton Airport and Southend-on-Sea Airport.
Designation under the Policing of Airports Act
In 1974, a terrorist alert at Heathrow airport caused the army to be deployed in an immediate response. Although the exact circumstances of their deployment are still unclear, the effect was that the armed officers from the Metropolitan Police were, for the first time, permanently deployed to Heathrow airport. The BAA, being a public corporation (but not under the direct control of the government), could not arm its officers, and nor could the municipally-controlled police forces at Birmingham or Manchester.As a response, the government introduced the Policing of Airports Act 1974, which gave them the power to "designate" airports for the purposes of policing. Designation of a particular airport caused policing at that airport to become the responsibility of the local territorial police force
Territorial police force
The phrase Territorial Police Force varies in precise meaning according to the country to which it is related, generally distinguishing a force whose area of responsibility is defined by sub-national boundaries from others which deal with the entire country or a restricted range of...
for the airport (who could deploy armed officers), and the airport operator reimbursed the police force accordingly.
The designated airports were those owned by BAA at the time (Heathrow,Policing of Airports (Heathrow) Order 1974 (SI 1974/1671) Stanstead,Policing of Airports (Stansted) Order 1975 (SI 1975/168) Gatwick,Policing of Airports (Gatwick) Order 1975 (SI 1975/375) Aberdeen,Policing of Airports (Aberdeen) Order 1975 (SI 1975/1769) Edinburgh,Policing of Airports (Edinburgh) Order 1975 (SI 1975/447) Glasgow (International)Policing of Airports (Glasgow) Order 1975 (SI 1975/443) and (Glasgow) PrestwickPolicing of Airports (Prestwick) Order 1975 (SI 1975/445)) and BirminghamPolicing of Airports (Birmingham) Order 1976 (SI 1976/590) and ManchesterPolicing of Airports (Manchester) Order 1976 (SI 1976/1045) airports, then under the control of their respective local authorities. Consequently, the BAACPolicing of Airports (Gatwick) (First Supplementary) Order 1975 (SI 1975/376), Policing of Airports (Heathrow) (First Supplementary) Order 1974 (SI 1974/1672), Policing of Airports (Stansted) (First Supplementary) Order 1975 (SI 1975/169), Policing of Airports (Prestwick) (First Supplementary) Order 1975 (SI 1975/446), Policing of Airports (Edinburgh) (First Supplementary) Order 1975 (SI 1975/448) and the Glasgow,Policing of Airports (Glasgow) (First Supplementary) Order 1975 (SI 1975/444) BirminghamPolicing of Airports (Birmingham) (First Supplementary) Order 1976 (SI 1976/591) and Manchester Policing of Airports (Manchester) (First Supplementary) Order 1976 (SI 1976/1046) airport police forces were disbanded and its members absorbed within the ranks of the respective territorial police forces.
Although the designation system allowed territorial police forces to recover the additional costs of providing extra police officers for airports in their police area
Police area
A police area is the area for which a territorial police force in the United Kingdom is responsible for policing.Every location in the United Kingdom has a designated territorial police force with statutory responsibility for providing policing services and enforcing criminal law, which is set out...
, it had some limitations. There was no effective means of arbitration
Arbitration
Arbitration, a form of alternative dispute resolution , is a legal technique for the resolution of disputes outside the courts, where the parties to a dispute refer it to one or more persons , by whose decision they agree to be bound...
between an airport operator and the police force - the Secretary of State for Transport
Secretary of State for Transport
The Secretary of State for Transport is the member of the cabinet responsible for the British Department for Transport. The role has had a high turnover as new appointments are blamed for the failures of decades of their predecessors...
could "determine" what the payment would be, but could not adjudicate on what level of service should be provided. At Luton Airport, which was not designated, Bedfordshire Police
Bedfordshire Police
Bedfordshire Police, is the territorial police force responsible for policing the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire in England, which includes the unitary authorities of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Luton. Its headquarters are in Kempston. The county had an estimated population of 602,500 in...
provided armed police under their statutory duty to provide "effective and efficient policing", but the airport operator refused to pay for the service.
2006 Independent Review of Policing at Airports
In 2006, Stephen Boys Smith was tasked by the Department for TransportDepartment for Transport
In the United Kingdom, the Department for Transport is the government department responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland which are not devolved...
and the Home Office
Home Office
The Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for immigration control, security, and order. As such it is responsible for the police, UK Border Agency, and the Security Service . It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs,...
to carry out a review of airport policing. His report recommended that partnership working be enhanced and that the system of "designations" be discontinued. The Policing and Crime Act 2009
Policing and Crime Act 2009
The Policing and Crime Act 2009 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The Act makes provision about police reform, prostitutes, sex offenders, sex establishments and certain other premises...
introduced a new statutory framework, the Airport Security Planning Framework, which applies to airports designated by direction of the Department of Transport Transport Security and Contingencies Directorate (see below). Under this framework, two groups are established at each airport: a Risk Advisory Group and a Security Executive Group. The Risk Advisory Group assess the security risks to the airport and issues Risk Reports. The Risk Reports feed into the Security Executive Group, who draw up an Aerodrome Security Plan (ASP). The ASP covers the measures in place at the airport, who is responsible for the measures and how those measures will be monitored.
If the ASP includes the provision of police services, then a Police Services Agreement (PSA) is also made. A PSA includes the level of policing that will be provided, how it will be paid for, and what facilities will be provided by the airport operator to the police force. PSAs do not cover responses to emergencies (both day-to-day emergencies and those covered by the Civil Contingencies Act 2004
Civil Contingencies Act 2004
The Civil Contingencies Act 2004 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that establishes a coherent framework for emergency planning and response ranging from local to national level...
), extra police provision for hijack designated airports, border control work or protection against man-portable air-defense systems. The new Framework also includes expanded powers of dispute resolution for the Secretary of State for Transport, and provides for recourse to judicial review by the High Court
High Court of Justice
The High Court of Justice is, together with the Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, one of the Senior Courts of England and Wales...
.
Airports covered by the National Aviation Security Plan
The following airports are covered by the Single Consolidated Direction 2010, and are subject to the Airport Security Planning Framework as outlined above.- Aberdeen AirportAberdeen AirportAberdeen Airport is an international airport, located at Dyce, a suburb of Aberdeen, Scotland, approximately northwest of Aberdeen city centre. 2.76 million passengers used Aberdeen Airport in 2010, a reduction of 7.4% compared with 2009, making it the 15th busiest airport in the UK...
- Barra Airport
- George Best Belfast City AirportGeorge Best Belfast City AirportGeorge Best Belfast City Airport is a single-runway airport in Belfast, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Situated adjacent to the Port of Belfast it is from Belfast City Centre. It shares the site with the Short Brothers/Bombardier aircraft manufacturing facility...
- Belfast International AirportBelfast International AirportBelfast International Airport is a major airport located northwest of Belfast in Northern Ireland. It was formerly known and is still referred to as Aldergrove Airport, after the village of the same name lying immediately to the west of the airport. Belfast International shares its runways with...
- Benbecula AirportBenbecula AirportBenbecula Airport is located on the island of Benbecula in the Outer Hebrides, off the West Coast of Scotland. It is a small rural airport owned and maintained by Highlands and Islands Airports Limited....
- Birmingham Airport
- Blackpool International Airport
- Bournemouth AirportBournemouth AirportBournemouth Airport is an airport located north-northeast of Bournemouth, in southern England...
- Bristol AirportBristol AirportBristol Airport may refer to:* Bristol Airport, serving Bristol, England, United Kingdom ** Bristol Airport , a docu-soap based on events at Bristol Airport...
- Bristol Filton Airport
- Cambridge AirportCambridge AirportCambridge Airport is a small regional airport in South Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the eastern outskirts of Cambridge, south of Newmarket Road and west of the village of Teversham, from the centre of Cambridge and approximately from London.Opened in 1938, when it replaced the old...
- Campbeltown AirportCampbeltown AirportCampbeltown Airport is located at Machrihanish, west of Campbeltown, near the tip of the Kintyre peninsula in Argyll and Bute on the west coast of Scotland...
- Cardiff Airport
- Carlisle Lake District Airport
- City of Derry AirportCity of Derry AirportCity of Derry Airport is an airport located northeast of Derry, Northern Ireland. It is located on the south bank of Lough Foyle, a short distance from the village of Eglinton and from the city centre...
- Coventry AirportCoventry AirportCoventry Airport is located south southeast of Coventry city centre, in the village of Baginton, Warwickshire, England, and about outside Coventry boundaries...
- Robin Hood Airport Doncaster SheffieldRobin Hood Airport Doncaster SheffieldRobin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield is an international airport located at the former RAF Finningley airbase at Finningley, in the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster within South Yorkshire, England. The airport lies southeast of Doncaster and east of Sheffield.The airport is operated by Peel...
- Dundee AirportDundee Airport-Road:The airport lies on the main A85 Riverside Drive, which links the city centre to the Kingsway and the A90, with the airport barely a couple of kilometers from the city centre itself. Taxis are available from outside the airport.-Bus:...
- Durham Tees Valley AirportDurham Tees Valley AirportDurham Tees Valley Airport is an international airport in north east England, located southeast of Darlington, about southwest of Middlesbrough and south of Durham. The airport serves County Durham and parts of North Yorkshire, and is in Middleton St George in the borough of Darlington...
- East Midlands Airport
- Edinburgh AirportEdinburgh AirportEdinburgh Airport is located at Turnhouse in the City of Edinburgh, Scotland, and was the busiest airport in Scotland in 2010, handling just under 8.6 million passengers in that year. It was also the sixth busiest airport in the UK by passengers and the fifth busiest by aircraft movements...
- Exeter International AirportExeter International AirportExeter International Airport is an airport located at Clyst Honiton in the District of East Devon close to the city of Exeter and within the county of Devon, South West England....
- Farnborough Airport
- Glasgow International AirportGlasgow International AirportGlasgow International Airport is an international airport in Scotland, located west of Glasgow city centre, near the towns of Paisley and Renfrew in Renfrewshire...
- Gloucestershire AirportGloucestershire AirportGloucestershire Airport , formerly Staverton Airport, is located at Staverton, in the Borough of Tewkesbury within Gloucestershire, England. It lies west of Cheltenham, near the city of Gloucester and close to the M5 motorway. According to the sign at the airport's entrance it is Gloucestershire's...
- Hawarden AirportHawarden AirportHawarden Airport , is a small airport in Hawarden situated in North East Wales close to the border with England and west southwest of the city of Chester. The airport is owned and operated by BAE Systems. A long term tenancy agreement has been signed with Airbus UK, giving rights as the sole...
- Humberside AirportHumberside Airport-Cargo flights:Icelandair Cargo operate a weekly Sunday flight from Keflavík which then departs to Liege-Passenger statistics:-Bus service:An hourly daytime bus service runs from Grimsby and Hull to the airport from Monday to Saturday.-External links:**...
- Inverness AirportInverness AirportInverness Airport is an international airport situated at Dalcross, north east of the city of Inverness in Highland, Scotland. The airport is the main gateway for travellers to the north of Scotland with a wide range of scheduled services throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland, and limited...
- Kent International AirportKent International AirportManston - Kent's International Airport is an airport located at Manston in the District of Thanet within Kent, England, northeast of Canterbury. It was formerly called RAF Manston , and was also known as London Manston Airport...
- Kirkwall AirportKirkwall AirportKirkwall Airport is the main airport serving the Orkney Islands in Scotland. It is located southeast of Kirkwall and is owned by Highlands and Islands Airports Limited...
- Leeds Bradford International AirportLeeds Bradford International AirportLeeds Bradford International Airport is located at Yeadon, in the City of Leeds Metropolitan District in West Yorkshire, England, northwest of Leeds city centre itself...
- Liverpool John Lennon AirportLiverpool John Lennon AirportLiverpool John Lennon Airport is an international airport serving the city of Liverpool and the North West of England. Formerly known as Speke Airport, RAF Speke, and Liverpool Airport the airport is located within the City of Liverpool adjacent to the estuary of the River Mersey some southeast...
- London Ashford Airport
- London Biggin Hill AirportLondon Biggin Hill AirportLondon Biggin Hill Airport is an airport at Biggin Hill in the London Borough of Bromley, located south southeast of Central London, United Kingdom...
- London City AirportLondon City AirportLondon City Airport is a single-runway airport. It principally serves the financial district of London and is located on a former Docklands site, east of the City of London, opposite the London Regatta Centre, in the London Borough of Newham in east London. It was developed by the engineering...
- London Gatwick Airport
- London Heathrow AirportLondon Heathrow AirportLondon Heathrow Airport or Heathrow , in the London Borough of Hillingdon, is the busiest airport in the United Kingdom and the third busiest airport in the world in terms of total passenger traffic, handling more international passengers than any other airport around the globe...
- London Luton AirportLondon Luton AirportLondon Luton Airport is an international airport located east of the town centre in the Borough of Luton in Bedfordshire, England and is north of Central London. The airport is from Junction 10a of the M1 motorway...
- London Stansted AirportLondon Stansted Airport-Cargo:-Statistics:-Infrastructure:-Terminal and satellite buildings:Stansted is the newest passenger airport of all the main London airports. The terminal is an oblong glass building, and is separated in to three areas: Check-in concourse, arrivals and departures...
- London Southend AirportLondon Southend AirportLondon Southend Airport or Southend Airport is a regional airport in the district of Rochford within Essex, England.During the 1960s, Southend was the third-busiest airport in the United Kingdom. It remained London's third-busiest airport in terms of passengers handled until the end of the 1970s,...
- Manchester Airport
- Newcastle AirportNewcastle AirportNewcastle International Airport is located in Woolsington in the City of Newcastle upon Tyne, England, north-west of the city centre. In 2010 it was the 11th busiest airport in the United Kingdom....
- Newquay Cornwall Airport
- Norwich International AirportNorwich International AirportNorwich International Airport , also known as Norwich Airport, is an airport in the City of Norwich within Norfolk, England north of the city centre and on the edge of the city's suburbs....
- Oxford Airport
- Plymouth City AirportPlymouth City AirportPlymouth City Airport is an airport located within the City of Plymouth north northeast of the city centre in Devon, England. The airport opened on this site in 1925 and was officially opened by the Edward VIII, as Prince of Wales, in 1931...
- (Glasgow) Prestwick Airport
- Scatsta AirportScatsta AirportScatsta Airport , is a commercial airport on Shetland in Scotland located north of Lerwick and southwest of Sullom Voe Terminal.Scatsta Aerodrome has a CAA Ordinary Licence that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction as authorised by the licensee...
- Shoreham AirportShoreham Airport- Sussex Police Air Operations Unit :The Sussex Police Air Operations Unit is headquartered at Shoreham Airport. The unit has been equipped since February 2000 with a MD Explorer, registered as "G-SUSX". The unit is headed by a Police Inspector, assisted by a Police Sergeant and two Police...
- Southampton AirportSouthampton AirportSouthampton Airport is the 20th largest airport in the UK, located north north-east of Southampton, in the Borough of Eastleigh within Hampshire, England....
- Stornoway AirportStornoway Airport-Other Tenants:* Maritime and Coastguard Agency - 2 Sikorsky S-92 helicopters operated by CHC Helicopter-Accident and incidents:...
- Sumburgh AirportSumburgh Airport-Other tenants:*Maritime and Coastguard Agency *Bristow Helicopters*Bond Helicopters -Incidents and accidents:...
- Tiree AirportTiree AirportTiree Airport is located north northeast of Balemartine on the island of Tiree in the Inner Hebrides off the west coast of Scotland. It is owned and maintained by Highlands and Islands Airports Limited....
- Wick AirportWick AirportWick Airport is located north of the town of Wick in Caithness at the north-eastern extremity of the mainland of Scotland. It is owned and maintained by Highlands and Islands Airports Limited....
- Wolverhampton AirportWolverhampton AirportWolverhampton Halfpenny Green Airport , formerly Halfpenny Green Airport and Wolverhampton Business Airport, locally Bobbington Airport, is a small, airport situated near the village of Bobbington, South Staffordshire...
Designation orders
The designation orders, and the Acts listed below marked *, are only publicly available at the Parliamentary Archives
Parliamentary Archives
The Parliamentary Archives of the United Kingdom preserves and makes available to public the records of the House of Lords and House of Commons back to 1497, as well as some 200 other collections of Parliamentary interest...
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