- Latest available (Revised)
- Original (As made)
The Air Navigation Order 2016
You are here:
What Version
Advanced Features
- Show Geographical Extent(e.g. England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland)
- Show Timeline of Changes
Changes to legislation:
There are outstanding changes not yet made by the legislation.gov.uk editorial team to The Air Navigation Order 2016. Any changes that have already been made by the team appear in the content and are referenced with annotations.
Changes to Legislation
Revised legislation carried on this site may not be fully up to date. Changes and effects are recorded by our editorial team in lists which can be found in the ‘Changes to Legislation’ area. Where those effects have yet to be applied to the text of the legislation by the editorial team they are also listed alongside the legislation in the affected provisions. Use the ‘more’ link to open the changes and effects relevant to the provision you are viewing.
Changes and effects yet to be applied to the whole Instrument associated Parts and Chapters:
Whole provisions yet to be inserted into this Instrument (including any effects on those provisions):
- Sch. 8 Pt. 3 Ch. 1 para. 1(2A) inserted by S.I. 2017/1112 art. 46(1)(b)
- Sch. 8 Pt. 3 Ch. 2 para. 4(3)(a) substituted by S.I. 2017/1112 art. 46(2)(a)
- Sch. 8 Pt. 3 Ch. 2 para. 5(2)(a) substituted by S.I. 2017/1112 art. 46(2)(b)
- Sch. 8 Pt. 3 Ch. 2 para. 6(2)(a) substituted by S.I. 2017/1112 art. 46(2)(c)
- art. 115A inserted by S.I. 2024/990 art. 5
- art. 270(2)(ea)(eb) inserted by S.I. 2020/1555 art. 10 (This amendment not applied to legislation.gov.uk. Art. 270 omitted (31.12.2020) by virtue of S.I. 2019/645, reg. 1, Sch. 1 para. 73 (with Sch. 3) (as amended by S.I. 2019/1098, regs. 1(3), 12); 2020 c. 1, Sch. 5 para. 1(1)))
Flights over any foreign countryU.K.
This section has no associated Explanatory Memorandum
247.—(1) The operator and the pilot in command of an aircraft registered in the United Kingdom (or, if the operator's principal place of business or permanent residence is in the United Kingdom, any other aircraft) which is being flown over any foreign country, must not allow that aircraft to be used for a purpose which is prejudicial to the security, public order or public health of, or to the safety of air navigation in relation to, that country.
(2) A person does not contravene paragraph (1) if that person neither knew nor suspected that the aircraft was being or was to be used for a purpose referred to in that paragraph.
(3) Subject to paragraph (4), the operator and the pilot in command of an aircraft registered in the United Kingdom (or, if the operator's principal place of business or permanent residence is in the United Kingdom, any other aircraft) which is being flown over any foreign country must comply with any directions given by the appropriate aeronautical authorities of that country whenever—
(a)the flight has not been duly authorised; or
(b)there are reasonable grounds for the appropriate aeronautical authorities to believe that the aircraft is being or will be used for a purpose which is prejudicial to the security, public order or public health of, or to the safety of air navigation in relation to, that country.
(4) A direction under paragraph (3) need not be complied with if to do so would endanger the lives of persons on board or the safety of the aircraft.
(5) A person does not contravene paragraph (3) if that person neither knew nor suspected that directions were being given by the appropriate aeronautical authorities.
(6) The requirement in paragraph (3) is without prejudice to any other requirement to comply with directions of an aeronautical authority.
(7) In this article, “appropriate aeronautical authorities” includes any person, whether a member of a country's military or civil authorities, authorised under the law of the foreign country to issue directions to aircraft flying over that country.
Options/Help
Print Options
PrintThe Whole Instrument
PrintThe Whole Part
PrintThe Whole Chapter
PrintThis Section only
You have chosen to open The Whole Instrument
The Whole Instrument you have selected contains over 200 provisions and might take some time to download. You may also experience some issues with your browser, such as an alert box that a script is taking a long time to run.
Would you like to continue?
You have chosen to open The Whole Instrument as a PDF
The Whole Instrument you have selected contains over 200 provisions and might take some time to download.
Would you like to continue?
You have chosen to open The Whole Instrument without Schedules
The Whole Instrument without Schedules you have selected contains over 200 provisions and might take some time to download. You may also experience some issues with your browser, such as an alert box that a script is taking a long time to run.
Would you like to continue?
You have chosen to open The Whole Instrument without Schedules as a PDF
The Whole Instrument without Schedules you have selected contains over 200 provisions and might take some time to download.
Would you like to continue?
You have chosen to open the Whole Instrument
The Whole Instrument you have selected contains over 200 provisions and might take some time to download. You may also experience some issues with your browser, such as an alert box that a script is taking a long time to run.
Would you like to continue?
You have chosen to open the Whole Instrument without Schedules
The Whole Instrument without Schedules you have selected contains over 200 provisions and might take some time to download. You may also experience some issues with your browser, such as an alert box that a script is taking a long time to run.
Would you like to continue?
You have chosen to open Schedules only
The Schedules you have selected contains over 200 provisions and might take some time to download. You may also experience some issues with your browser, such as an alert box that a script is taking a long time to run.
Would you like to continue?
Legislation is available in different versions:
Latest Available (revised):The latest available updated version of the legislation incorporating changes made by subsequent legislation and applied by our editorial team. Changes we have not yet applied to the text, can be found in the ‘Changes to Legislation’ area.
Original (As Enacted or Made): The original version of the legislation as it stood when it was enacted or made. No changes have been applied to the text.
See additional information alongside the content
Geographical Extent: Indicates the geographical area that this provision applies to. For further information see ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.
Show Timeline of Changes: See how this legislation has or could change over time. Turning this feature on will show extra navigation options to go to these specific points in time. Return to the latest available version by using the controls above in the What Version box.
Opening Options
Different options to open legislation in order to view more content on screen at once
Explanatory Memorandum
Explanatory Memorandum sets out a brief statement of the purpose of a Statutory Instrument and provides information about its policy objective and policy implications. They aim to make the Statutory Instrument accessible to readers who are not legally qualified and accompany any Statutory Instrument or Draft Statutory Instrument laid before Parliament from June 2004 onwards.
More Resources
Access essential accompanying documents and information for this legislation item from this tab. Dependent on the legislation item being viewed this may include:
- the original print PDF of the as enacted version that was used for the print copy
- lists of changes made by and/or affecting this legislation item
- confers power and blanket amendment details
- all formats of all associated documents
- correction slips
- links to related legislation and further information resources
Impact Assessments
Impact Assessments generally accompany all UK Government interventions of a regulatory nature that affect the private sector, civil society organisations and public services. They apply regardless of whether the regulation originates from a domestic or international source and can accompany primary (Acts etc) and secondary legislation (SIs). An Impact Assessment allows those with an interest in the policy area to understand:
- Why the government is proposing to intervene;
- The main options the government is considering, and which one is preferred;
- How and to what extent new policies may impact on them; and,
- The estimated costs and benefits of proposed measures.
Timeline of Changes
This timeline shows the different points in time where a change occurred. The dates will coincide with the earliest date on which the change (e.g an insertion, a repeal or a substitution) that was applied came into force. The first date in the timeline will usually be the earliest date when the provision came into force. In some cases the first date is 01/02/1991 (or for Northern Ireland legislation 01/01/2006). This date is our basedate. No versions before this date are available. For further information see the Editorial Practice Guide and Glossary under Help.
More Resources
Use this menu to access essential accompanying documents and information for this legislation item. Dependent on the legislation item being viewed this may include:
- the original print PDF of the as made version that was used for the print copy
- correction slips
Click 'View More' or select 'More Resources' tab for additional information including:
- lists of changes made by and/or affecting this legislation item
- confers power and blanket amendment details
- all formats of all associated documents
- links to related legislation and further information resources
All content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. This site additionally contains content derived from EUR-Lex, reused under the terms of the Commission Decision 2011/833/EU on the reuse of documents from the EU institutions. For more information see the EUR-Lex public statement on re-use.