Steps to Get Your Helipad Approved for International Flights

Only ‘regulated’ locations in Great Britain can accept non-domestic flights

A Quick Guide for Helipaddy Pilots and Site Owners

In the United Kingdom, certain legal requirements apply if you wish to accept flights from outside the UK at your landing site. Under Section 21 of the Customs and Excise Management Act 1979 (CEMA), only regulated landing sites may handle aircraft arriving from, or departing to, other countries.

In Border Force terminology, the word aerodrome or airport is used generically to cover helipads as well as larger aerodromes. For simplicity, this guide will use the term landing site to refer to all of these.

Helipaddy has been actively contributing to the way Border Force handle international flights. You can see our responses at https://helipaddy.com/consultation-advanced-information-for-international-flights/.

What Makes a Landing Site “Regulated”?

A landing site is considered regulated if it is either:

1. A customs and excise airport (as designated under Section 60 of the Civil Aviation Act 1982), or
2. A landing site approved under Section 20B of CEMA.

If your landing site is not already on the official list of customs and excise airports, you must apply for approval before accepting any inbound or outbound international flight. Prior to this, many landing sites obtained a Certificate of Agreement.

Applying for Approval (Section 20B of CEMA)

When seeking Section 20B approval for your landing site, you will need to supply the following details to Border Force:

1. Operator Information

• Full legal name of the entity responsible for the landing site
• Companies House Registration Number (if applicable)
• VAT Registration Number (if applicable)
• EORI Number (mandatory for processing international arrivals/departures)

2. Landing Site Details

• Postal address of the landing site
• Types of flights you expect to handle (business, leisure, domestic, international)
• Estimated annual flight numbers, split between domestic and international
• Details of any non-passenger cargo (if applicable), such as freight, firearms, or pets
• Third-party operators (if any) using your site (for example, maintenance, refuelling, import/export of aircraft)
• A signed and dated plan of the site layout

3. Facilities for Border Force

• Parking spaces for official vehicles
• Space to display required customs notices and posters
• Private area for baggage checks (a room with a table is sufficient)
• Internet access for official use

4. Record-Keeping

• A system to record, for 4 years, details of all aircraft landing or departing. This could be Helipaddy Flights which automates the recording of landings for pilots and site owners.

Additional information may be requested if your site, or any party using it, deals with activities such as importing or exporting aircraft or cargo.

Operating Before Approval

Until Border Force grants regulated status, you cannot accept international flights at your landing site. If you have an urgent need for an overseas arrival or departure during the approval process, you must direct the aircraft to an existing regulated location. Non-private ones are listed in Annex A at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/general-aviation-operators-and-pilots-notification-of-flights/general-aviation-report-guidance-accessible#AnnexA

Summary for Helipaddy Users

For helipad owners and operators listed on Helipaddy, gaining regulated status opens the door to welcoming international helicopter flights. Although it involves submitting specific details and meeting Border Force requirements, completing this process means:

• Your landing site becomes authorised to handle flights from outside the UK
• You provide clear, compliant facilities for customs checks and record-keeping
• You ensure the smooth arrival and departure of both domestic and international visitors

Understanding these legal obligations will help you offer more flexibility to pilots while remaining fully compliant with UK customs and excise regulations.

Contact information

For reference, the official contact details for submitting Section 20B applications are below:
National Frontiers Approval Unit
Border Force, Border Force Officer, Operational Logistics
1st Floor, Admin Block, The Cargo Centre
Birmingham International Airport, Birmingham, B26 3QN
Telephone: 0121 781 7856/61 (09:00 – 16:30)
Email: [email protected]