Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to counter the prevalence of illegal flights.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) regularly conduct campaigns to raise awareness of the dangers of illegal public transport operations, and to guide consumers on what to look for when chartering an aircraft to ensure the flight is legal. The CAA is currently planning further work to educate consumers about the rules, and the potential risks of illegal charter flights.

The CAA will prosecute people where there is sufficient evidence, and where it is in the public interest to do so, but enforcement action will vary depending on the circumstances of the incident. It includes educating individuals or organisations on the regulations to avoid breaches, a formal warning, the revocation of licences, approvals or certificates, or criminal investigations and prosecutions.

The CAA publishes the detail and outcome of all successful prosecutions since 2005 on its website at https://www.caa.co.uk/Our-work/About-us/Enforcement-and-prosecutions/. These include successful prosecutions for illegal public transport. Earlier this year, the CAA assisted with the prosecution of an individual in the Manchester Crown Court for, among other things, illegal public transport.

Both the CAA and the police encourage the reporting of potential illegal activity at airfields and provide a number of channels, including confidential reporting, for concerns to be reported.