A Bill to make provision for the protection of purchasers and users of air transport and airport services; to make provision about airspace change, air traffic and air navigation services and airport slots and schedules; to confer power on the Civil Aviation Authority to make rules; to make provision about aviation offences; and for connected purposes.
House of Lords
14 May 2026
May contain errors — check source documents for definitive information.
This bill aims to modernise UK aviation law after Brexit. It strengthens passenger rights (covering delays, cancellations, boarding refusals, baggage, price transparency and accessibility), and gives the Civil Aviation Authority new powers to make and directly enforce safety and consumer rules, with coordinated oversight from the CMA. It also updates how airspace changes, air traffic services and airport slots and charges are run, creating a UK-wide framework that will begin in stages once enacted and aligned with assimilated EU/UK law.
The bill is at 2nd reading in the Lords (originating in the Lords). Official documents published on 14 May 2026 outline the aims, policy choices and cost/benefit considerations, framing it as a package of post-Brexit reforms with staged commencement once enacted.
Generated 15 May 2026
14 May 2026
1 Jun 2026
First reading took place on 14 May. This stage is a formality that signals the start of the bill's journey through the Lords.
What happens next?
Second reading - the general debate on all aspects of the bill - is scheduled for Monday 1 June.
These Explanatory Notes describe a Bill to modernise UK aviation law. It would strengthen air passenger rights, give the Civil Aviation Authority direct enforcement powers for consumer protection, and update the regimes for airspace changes, air traffic services, slots and charges. It would also create a new CAA rule‑making framework to enable aviation safety rules and offences, with UK-wide application and staged commencement.
The bill would create a Civil Aviation (Consumer Protection and Regulatory Reform) Act 2026 that strengthens passenger rights (on delays, cancellations, boarding refusals, baggage, price transparency and accessibility) and introduces a new enforcement framework in which the CMA and the Civil Aviation Authority act as direct enforcement authorities with coordinated powers. It also gives the CAA new rule‑making powers (CAA rules) aligned with assimilated EU/UK law, expands enforcement provisions across digital competition regimes, and overhauls airport slot allocation under the Airports Act, along with widespread amendments to related aviation and competition legislation.
The Final Stage Impact Assessment for the Civil Aviation (Consumer Protection and Regulatory Reform) Bill [HL] proposes six targeted measures to restore post-Brexit powers and modernise regulation: restoring powers to amend air passenger rights via secondary legislation and assimilated law, creating a UK Airspace Design Service to speed up airspace changes, reintroducing criminal sanctions for aviation safety, consolidating safety rules through Regulatory Reform, updating Airport Slots Regulation, and boosting the CAA’s consumer enforcement powers. It argues action is needed to close EU exit gaps, support airport expansion, and maintain international alignment, with costs largely transitional and long‑term benefits largely non‑monetised; monetised impacts are expected to be small or uncertain. The package is deemed the preferred option (over Do Nothing or mixed approaches), with arrangements for monitoring and case‑by‑case post‑implementation reviews for future secondary legislation.
No recorded votes for this bill yet.
