Let me walk you through this section on aerodromes and their classification — Page 369, Lesson 499

Let me walk you through this section on aerodromes and their classification. We're looking at what a contracting state must do, and then the different types of aerodromes you'll encounter. First, the key obligation: a contracting state is required to ensure that aerodromes within its territory comply with the requirements of the annex. In the United Kingdom, the authority responsible for ensuring this compliance is the CAA — the Civil Aviation Authority. Now, in the UK there are four types of aerodrome. Let me go through each one carefully. The first is the public use licensed aerodrome. This is open for general use on an equal basis. So anyone can use it, and everyone is treated the same. The second is the ordinary (private) licensed aerodrome. This one is different — it's for use by the licence holder, and others only with the licence holder's permission. So access is restricted. The third is the unlicensed aerodrome, which has limited use only. And the fourth is government owned — that includes military aerodromes, and DERA, which is the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency. Now, section 19.3 moves us to use by commercial air transport, or CAT. The learning objectives of your course are directed towards the use of aerodromes by CAT. Here's an important point: the differentiation between public and private — or ordinary — is immaterial. It doesn't matter for CAT purposes. If an aerodrome is to be used for CAT, the services, facilities, markings, lighting, and aircraft handling capability must comply with the requirements of the state for the issue of a licence. So all those elements — services, facilities, markings, lighting, and aircraft handling capability — have to meet the state's licensing requirements. Now, here's a crucial point about unlicensed aerodromes. The use of an unlicensed aerodrome is not precluded for CAT. It's not forbidden. But the absence of a licence means that any instrument procedures associated with instrument approaches have not been certified as safe for use for CAT. So you can't do instrument approaches there for commercial air transport. It is therefore implicit that the use of an unlicensed aerodrome for CAT is restricted to visual operations only. Let me make sure that's clear: unlicensed aerodrome plus CAT equals visual operations only. No instrument approaches, because those procedures haven't been certified. Now section 19.4 introduces International Airports. Each state has the right to impose immigration, health, and customs and excise controls on persons and cargo entering that state. So when you cross a border, the state can check people and goods. An aerodrome at which such procedures and facilities for those controls are established and operated is known as an International Aerodrome. So it's the presence of immigration, health, and customs and excise facilities that makes it international. The place name of the aerodrome is usually suffixed with the word 'international' to denote the fact. For instance, 'Los Angeles International'. In the UK, such aerodromes are defined as 'customs aerodromes', although the term 'international' is becoming commonplace — for example, Birmingham International. And here's a point that ties back to something you'll recall: the Montreal Convention is only concerned with acts of unlawful interference committed at an 'international' aerodrome. So that legal framework applies specifically to international aerodromes, not just any aerodrome. Let me bring this together. We have the contracting state's obligation to ensure compliance with the annex, the CAA as the UK authority, four types of aerodrome in the UK, the CAT requirements and the visual-only restriction for unlicensed aerodromes, and finally the definition of an international aerodrome with its customs and immigration facilities, plus the Montreal Convention connection.